workforce
Culture heroes
Geck Ming Tan and her husband Geok Hwa Low. Photo: VMCH
Centre provides special support and
services for seniors who lack English
skills or hail from foreign lands.
By Patrick Avenell
A
new Multicultural Wellness Centre
catering for seniors from various
backgrounds has opened in
Wantirna, a suburb in Melbourne’s east.
Run by not-for-profit disability services
organisation Villa Maria Catholic Homes
(VMCH), the centre has been equipped and
staffed to meet the needs of the region’s
ageing immigrant population.
“There is a high demand for culturally
and linguistically diverse-specific social
support services for older people,
especially with the significant growth of the
older Chinese community in the eastern
metro region,” VMCH lifestyle and respite
services team leader Angela Ng says.
One of the biggest issues for the Chinese
community in Melbourne’s east is a lack
of English literacy. Many senior ChineseAustralians have traditionally relied on
their children and grandchildren to act
as interpreters and for communication
needs, which can become harder as they
age, Ng reports. Staff who understand
this challenge and are trained to help
can relieve much of the frustration
communication difficulties can present.
The centre is open for locals aged 65 and
over, with priority given to those who have
dementia or a disability, or who are frail or
socially isolated. Two Chinese-Australians
who have been accessing the centre’s
services are Geok Hwa Low and his wife,
Geck Ming Tan.
“My wife and I had a challenging time
when her medical conditions changed in
2010,” Geok says. “She was depressed and
we had a lot of arguments at home. She
was finally diagnosed with dementia and
we knew we needed to look for help.”
Some of the activities Geok and Geck
partake in through the centre include
physiotherapy, education sessions, tai
chi, exercise classes, computer and iPad
sessions, community outings, cultural
events and carer support.
“My wife’s mood has changed a lot (since
we joined),” Geok says. “She’s become
happier and the quarrels between us have
decreased. Without these groups, I think we
– older Chinese people – are still struggling
to live happily and in a meaningful way.
Having Chinese food and speaking Chinese
is so important to us to feel good in our old
age, especially for my wife’s conditions.”
Ng says the language barrier can be
exponentially exacerbated by dementia.
“Due to language and cultural barriers,
seniors find it easier to communicate
with people coming from the same
background,” Ng explains. “This is
especially true for those who are living with
dementia, as their language goes back to
their mother tongue and they have lost
the ability to communicate in a second
language, which is acquired in the latter
part of life. They may get frustrated when
they are facing this situation.”
Some of the hurdles to be cleared in
establishing a successful multicultural
outreach program are, Ng elaborates, finding
potential clients, recruiting and training staff
and corralling effective leadership.
“We have to get in touch with a network of
service providers in order to get referrals but
we also have good word-of-mouth from our
existing clients who refer their friends here,”
Ng articulates. “It takes time to find the right
people who also speak the same language.
Luckily, here at VMCH we have a diverse
team of staff from different backgrounds.
“We have undergone [establishing] a
new structure for our community services
team recently to provide a better model in
service delivery. The team is committed to
delivering a person-centred approach to
services with an emphasis of wellness and
restorative care.”
Ng and her team take a holistic
approach. She emphasises how important
it is to look beyond the prima facie
concerns to meet the many needs of
Australia’s ageing communities.
“The wellbeing of people is based not
just on physical needs, it includes social
and emotional needs, too,” she says.
“Young people who have fewer restraints
in regards to social [activities] such as
travelling around, may not understand
why we need to take an older family
member to a medical appointment or to
have a walk. The decrease in mobility or
ability to get around has a huge impact on
people’s emotional wellbeing, thus people
may easily get depressed and lose their
confidence to live the life they want.” n
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