Seminars in Ageing: Cultural diversity in the aged care workforce

Cultural diversity in the aged care workforce: Current implications and future opportunities

Presenter: A/Prof Bianca Brijnath and Dr Josefine Antoniades, NARI

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About the presentation

Australia’s aged care workforce is also increasingly culturally diverse. Approximately 40% of the current aged care workforce comprises Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) workers, mainly from India and the Philippines, but also increasingly from Sudan and Iraq. As one of the few Australian workforces that must triple to 1 million workers by 2050, this presentation explores: (1) how multicultural workers ‘cross boundaries’ to facilitate access to care services for CALD people with dementia and their families and (2) the challenges and opportunities for this workforce in light of population projections and demographic transition. This presentation will be of relevance to policy-makers, service providers, and researchers interested in cultural diversity and workforce issues.

About the presenter

Associate Professor Bianca Brijnath is the Divisional Director of Social Gerontology at the National Ageing Research Institute. Her disciplinary training is in medical anthropology and public health and her research expertise is in cultural diversity, dementia, and mental health. Within these disciplinary and contextual boundaries, she has undertaken several studies exploring mental health and culture, mental health and the life-course, and dementia and cultural diversity. She has authored over 100 publications, including a sole-authored book with Berghahn Books titled 'Unforgotten: Love and the culture of dementia care in India' and is the lead investigator for the Moving Pictures study in Australia and in India. In recognition of her research, she was awarded the Victorian Young Tall Poppy Award in 2018.

Dr Josefine Antoniades is a Research Fellow at NARI in the Division of Social Gerontology. She was awarded her PhD in 2017 from the Department of General Practice at Monash University and disciplinary expertise is at the nexus of psychology, public health and primary care. Framed by these disciplinary boundaries, her research interests include dementia, mental health and health literacy in culturally and linguistically diverse communities. She is the project manager on Moving Pictures - a national project that aims to raise dementia awareness in culturally and linguistically diverse communities through the use of film and digital media. Further to this, she is co-investigator on a multi-media project aimed at raising awareness of dementia in India, and a national project which will develop multicultural animations for dementia prevention.

Further information: [email protected]

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