As our older population becomes increasingly culturally and linguistically diverse, we will require a more culturally responsive, flexible, and consumer orientated aged care and support service system.

It is well known that older people (65 plus) from CALD backgrounds are rapidly ageing. It is projected that older people from CALD backgrounds will represent 31 per cent of Victoria’s older population by 2011 (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2001).

The needs of our rapidly growing CALD senior population requires our immediate attention and address.

It is therefore crucial that ECCV has a major focus on the development of policy and advocacy in the CALD aged care area.

Key issues within this area include:

• Elder abuse/prevention;
• HACC funding priorities and policy frameworks;
• Aged care service standards and quality frameworks
• Access to language services
• The Cultural Planning Strategy and Supported Access Pilot Projects;
• Positive Ageing and Social Support;
• The Way Forward';
• Community Care;
• Dementia;
• Council of Australian Governments (COAG) outcomes;
• Residential Care; and
• Client Assessment.

ECCV's Aged Care Policy Officer, Natasha Kukanja, is responsible for advocacy and policy development in the ageing and aged care area. Please do not hesitate to contact Natasha to discuss your concerns regarding aged care and support services for CALD older people.

Information and Consultation

Part of ECCV’s work involves delivering information sessions on various issues relating the ageing and aged care needs of CALD older people. Our Aged Care Policy Officer is especially interested in speaking to and consulting with community groups and service providers in regional and rural Victoria to gain a better understanding of the needs of older people from CALD backgrounds and the services that support them in our rural and regional communities. Please contact Natasha Kukanja on 03 9349 4122 or natasha@eccv.org.au, for further information.

ECCV Aged Care Committee

ECCV also has an active Aged Care Committee which meets regularly to input into ECCV’s policy development and advocacy efforts related to ageing and aged care issues.
Members include representatives from ethno-specific and multicultural aged care services and other key stakeholder groups.
For more information about the Aged Care Committee, please contact the Aged Care Policy Officer.

ECCV Aged Care Committee response to the HACC Strategic Directions and Expenditure Priorities 2008-11

ECCV has called for a new, more flexible model of funding and planning of HACC services in its recent submission in response to the Department of Human Service’s HACC 2008-11 Strategic Directions and Expenditure Priorities in Victoria Consultation Paper. The submission, informed by consultation with a variety of key stakeholders within the Victorian multicultural aged care sector, called for the development of a HACC Program that “reflects and responds to the needs and wishes of its diverse, growing target population.” http://eccv.org.au/doc/ECCVSubmission150208.pdf

A NEW RESOURCE FOR PEOPLE WITH BILINGUAL SKILLS THINKING ABOUT A CAREER IN AGED CARE

In partnership with the Centre for Culture Ethnicity and Health (CEH), ECCV recently launched a new aged care careers resource for migrants and other people with bilingual skills to research pathways to a career in aged care:

“Caring for Your Community: A Career in Aged Care” attempts to fill a shortage of available bilingual aged care workers and should be especially helpful to people whose first language is not English”, said Sam Afra, the newly elected Chairperson of Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria at the launch of the resource on December 6, 2007.

The booklet provides information about Certificates III and IV in aged care courses that give people the skills and qualifications required to care for older people in the community or in residential care settings.

To access an electronic copy of this resource, please follow the link:

http://eccv.org.au/doc/Acareerinethnicagedcareweb.pdf

All further enquiries should be directed to the Aged Care Policy Officer, Natasha Kukanja.

ECCV Ageing and Cultural Diversity Strategy

In November, the Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria launched its Ageing and Cultural Diversity Strategy.

This Ageing and Cultural Diversity Strategy provides a comprehensive analysis of current aged care policies and support programs targeted to older Australians from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds. It makes several recommendations designed to strengthen the cultural and linguistic responsiveness of Commonwealth funded aged care and support services.

The Ageing and Cultural Diversity Strategy aims to promote a more inclusive aged care service system that is responsive to the needs of our growing CALD older population.  

It highlights the need for the Commonwealth to take leadership in developing and implementing policies and services that will enhance and support a positive experience of ageing for all Australians.

The Ageing and Cultural Diversity Strategy is a living document and it is hoped that continued consultation and input from the sector will assist ECCV to use it as a foundation for its advocacy in the aged care area. 

To view the Ageing and Cultural Diversity Strategy, please follow the link:

ECCV Multicultural Aged Care Strategy

Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria has released its Multicultural Aged Care Strategy for Victorian Political Parties in the lead up to the 2006 State Election.

Soon 38% of Melbourne’s seniors will be from multicultural backgrounds. ECCV’s Multicultural Aged Care Strategy provides a range of policy recommendations to deal with this huge challenge, including:

• Combining various multicultural aged care programs with limited funding into a comprehensive Multicultural Aged Care Strategy.
• Allowing more client choice in selecting Home and Community Care (HACC) providers.
• Strengthening the capacity of ethno-specific agencies to provide services for larger ethnic communities.
• Ensuring state public sector aged care facilities provide culturally sensitive services where appropriate.
• Funding ethnic senior citizens clubs to run healthy living programs.
• Ensuring elder abuse in ethnic communities is addressed.

“Victoria’s post-war immigrants helped build Victoria. They deserve a little more support in their senior years. A Multicultural Aged Care Strategy will ensure that our multicultural seniors get the care they deserve,” said Phong Nguyen, Chair of the Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria.

“ECCV hopes that all political parties adopt a Multicultural Aged Care Strategy as core policy in the lead up to the 2006 November State Election,” said Mr Nguyen.

For a copy of the ECCV’s Multicultural Aged Care Strategy

please follow the link:http://eccv.org.au/doc/MACS.pdf