Cultural and Linguistic Diversity

New Zealand Dementia Foundation > Resource Hub > Cultural and Linguistic Diversity

Supporting culturally and linguistically diverse people living with dementia

CALD Guidelines for Dementia Patients in Aged Residential Care.

Kathy Peri and Gary Cheung, University of Auckland, 2016

The aim of this resource is to provide cultural best-practice guidelines for staff working in residential care facilities, ensuring that CALD residents with dementia receive culturally appropriate support and care, including during the immediate period following the transition from their home to residential care.

Connecting Culture and Care: Introducing Chinese Elders.

Dementia Canterbury

The aim of this resource is to provide a simple one-page introduction to some basic concepts and phrases when working with Pasifika aiga living with dementia

Connecting Culture and Care: Introducing Pasifika People.

Dementia Canterbury

The aim of this resource is to provide a simple, one-page introduction to basic concepts and phrases for working with Pasifika aiga living with dementia.

Dementia Support for Asian Communities.

Chamilka Punchihewa & Makayla Lou (2013), University of Auckland and Alzheimer’s Auckland

This summary of barriers to the use of dementia support amongst Asian communities draws on a literature review and interviews with experts in the Auckland region.

Dementia: Fusi’s Story.

Tagata Pasifika, 2020

Dementia is a condition that affects more than 70,000 New Zealanders, of whom Pasifika make up nearly 3000. In this video, one family is making it their mission to spread awareness about dementia “with a little bit of laughter and a whole lot of love”.

eCALD Online Courses and Resources.

eCALD® services have developed e-learning and face-to-face courses, as well as online, print, and HTML CALD cultural competence training and information for the New Zealand health workforce, funded by the Ministry of Health through Waitemata DHB. While not dementia specific, the CALD Cultural Competency “Courses for Working with Patients” are very relevant.

Perceptions of Dementia in Ethnic Communities.

Alzheimer’s Australia Victoria (Au)

Alzheimer’s Australia Victoria has produced a fabulous resource kit comprising 12 cultural community profiles, each covering perceptions of dementia; attitudes towards diagnosis and treatment; the role of the family; community care; residential care; counselling; and, if relevant, the role of religion in these attitudes. The information in the profiles is based on the opinions of people consulted during the project.

Culturally Inclusive Aged Care Practice Guides.

Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing (Au)

A set of Practice Guides outlines key considerations, actions, and resources that can support aged care providers in delivering inclusive services to people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and in embedding a systemic, holistic approach so that their services are welcoming, safe, and accessible for everyone. The Practice Guides are intended for managers and staff, and to inform direct service provision. It is vital that aged care services take into account and address the cultural and linguistic needs of individual consumers.

Communication and awareness resources in multiple languages

Multilingual Resources for Facilities.

The Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing (Au)

This organisation offers bilingual aged care resources for use in community or residential care settings:

– Communication Cards to assist with directions, clarify a client’s needs, etc. Available online in bilingual format in 20+ languages.

– Aged Care Signage. To assist their clients in navigating their way around a home or service. Available online in bilingual format in 20 languages.

Cue Cards in Community Languages

Eastern Health (Au)

This site offers an amazing resource of sets of bilingual cue cards in 68 languages. These are divided into 11 categories: Basic, Instructions, Family, Community, Descriptions, Medical, Objects, People, Religion, Time & Dental and include charts indicating days of the week, months of the year, and the level of pain scale, to enable practitioners to custom-make communication boards for individual client needs.

It’s Not a Disgrace…It’s Dementia.

Dementia Australia

This family-friendly dementia awareness video has been released in twelve languages. The 15–20-minute video is available in Spanish, Arabic, Serbian, Ukrainian, Cambodian, Croatian, Assyrian, Vietnamese, Italian, Portuguese, Mandarin, or Hindi, each with English subtitles. The short films feature carers of people living with dementia giving personal accounts, in their own language, of their experiences, alongside health professionals who discuss the condition.

Moving Pictures: Dementia Awareness for CALD Communities.

National Ageing Research Institute and Curtin University (Au)

The Moving Pictures project has produced 15 short films co-produced with people from Hindi-, Tamil-, Mandarin-, Cantonese- and Arabic-speaking communities. For each language, there are three films: Detection and Diagnosis, Navigating Care, and the Carer Journey. The project is ongoing, with more CALD communities to be involved in the future.

About Dementia.

Alzheimer’s New Zealand

Alzheimer’s New Zealand has a basic information sheet on dementia available in several languages

Samoan Fijian Tongan English Te Reo Māori

Information on Dementia.

Dementia Australia

Dementia Australia is committed to meeting the linguistic needs of all members of the community, and has information on dementia available in a range of languages.

About Dementia.

Alzheimer’s New Zealand

Alzheimer’s New Zealand has a basic information sheet on dementia available in several languages

Samoan Fijian Tongan English Te Reo Māori

Information on Dementia.

Dementia Australia

Dementia Australia is committed to meeting the linguistic needs of all members of the community, and has information on dementia available in a range of languages.