Multicultural SA organised a Multicultural Aged Care Roundtable in April 2009 to seek resolutions to concerns raised by ethnic communities and mainstream service providers regarding the availability and appropriateness of existing services for elderly members of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities in South Australia.

It is a well documented fact that the Australian population is ageing and that older South Australians of CALD backgrounds constitute the fastest growing proportion of the ageing population.

It is important that aged care service providers and community groups are responsive to the needs of their elderly.

A Preliminary Paper outlining the issues raised at earlier consultations was sent to key aged care service providers for further comment and feedback.

These comments and feedback were then collated into a document that helped form the basis of discussions.   

The Roundtable provided an opportunity for key Federal and State government agencies and service providers to indicate what measures they are currently taking and will take to respond to the matters raised.

The outcomes of the Roundtable will go to the South Australian Multicultural and Ethnic Affairs Commission (SAMEAC) and be forwarded to the Minister for Multicultural Affairs, the Hon. Michael Atkinson M.P. for consideration. 

For a copy of the Report of the Multicultural Aged Care Roundtable (as a 48kb PDF), click here