Section 1: Introduction

Up to Support for people with special needs

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1.1 Policy Context

Under the Aged Care Act 1997, older people from non-English speaking (culturally and linguistically diverse) backgrounds are identified as a special needs group. As such, specific policy and programs have been designed to enhance the access of these older people to aged care services and information, as well as build capacity for aged care providers to deliver culturally appropriate care.

The Australian Government is committed to providing culturally appropriate aged care to all older people from non-English speaking backgrounds. Specific policy and programs have been designed to enhance the access of these people to aged care services and to build capacity to help aged care providers deliver culturally appropriate care.

The Australian Government administers two specific programs to assist the delivery of culturally appropriate care - the Community Partners Program and the Partners in Culturally Appropriate Care Program.

The Partners in Culturally Appropriate Care (PICAC) Program, was developed to improve the capacity of aged care services to respond to the differing needs of older people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities. Through the PICAC projects there is an organisation funded in each State and Territory to provide this support through a PICAC project.

PICAC coordinators work to improve the partnership between aged care providers, CALD communities and the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing to ensure that aged care service providers are informed on best practice in the delivery of culturally appropriate care.

The Community Partners Program (CPP) was developed to improve the capacity of aged care services to respond to the differing needs of older people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities. The CPP aims to promote and facilitate increased access by culturally and linguistically diverse communities with significant aged care needs to aged care service providers and support services. A number of state wide projects will link CALD communities with aged care providers to improve access and utilisation of aged care places by CALD communities.
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1.2 Characteristics of the Client Group

While the Australian population as a whole is ageing, the population of people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds is ageing at a more rapid rate. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s (AIHW) report, “Projections of older immigrants - People from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, 1996-2026, Australia” released in May 2001, states that 22.5% of older Australians will be from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds by 2011. This reflects a significant growth rate of 66% when compared to the growth rate of 23% for the Australian-born older population.

This changing demography is largely due to the ageing of the large-scale immigration intake to Australia after the Second World War. By 2011, it is predicted that one in every five people aged 80 or more will be from a culturally and linguistically diverse background, and that in 2026, this proportion will increase to one in every four people.

As a group, older people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds share with other Australians the range of needs that arise from the ageing process. However, they also experience special needs. Older people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities are not accessing aged care services commensurate with their proportion of Australia’s ageing population. This is evident by their under-representation in the use of residential aged care services.
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