Wednesday 30 November 2022

Media Release

Culturally and linguistically diverse communities will have greater access to essential resources for dementia and dementia care, with the launch of a one-stop online portal with more than 400 in-language education and awareness materials.

Developed as part of the National Ageing Research Institute’s (NARI) ongoing Moving Pictures project, the Genie (Global dEmeNtIa rEsources) is an online repository of national and international evidence-based dementia resources in 68 languages and counting.

Project lead, NARI Senior Research Fellow Josefine Antoniades, says Genie is one of the first resources of its kind, comprehensively and systematically collating digital dementia resources specifically, developed in languages other than English from Australia and overseas.

“These resources will provide essential information to culturally and linguistically diverse communities throughout Australia, and those who speak languages other than English around the world,” Antoniades said.

“By having this information all in one place, it simplifies the process and makes these materials much more accessible to the people who need them most.”

Genie was codesigned with providers and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) carers and service providers, ensuring the format was created in line with their wants and needs to deliver an accessible and user-friendly website.

Head of the Moving Pictures project, Professor Bianca Brijnath, says this is the next step for NARI’s innovative multimedia initiative.

“There are more than 470,000 people in Australia who are living with a form of dementia, and this figure is projected to increase. It’s more vital than ever that dementia education is inclusive of non-English speaking communities,” Professor Brijnath said.

Funded by the Australian Association of Gerontology (AAG), the international initiative brings together researchers from India, Scotland, Australia and the Netherlands who have collected hundreds of links to in-language websites and resources.

The ‘live’ resource will be continually updated with new materials in more languages, to ensure the most current and accurate information is being shared. Genie is available now on the Moving Pictures website.

Media Contact: Olivia Joyce – 0448 129 595

The Moving Pictures Genie is available at movingpictures.org.au/Pages/FAQs/Category/mp-genie 

About NARI

The National Ageing Research Institute (NARI) is Australia’s only independent national research institute dedicated to ageing. NARI is committed to improving the life and health of older people through research and its translation into evidence-based practice.