Will They Understand the Person I Know? Culturally Appropriate Care with AfCAS
As a daughter living in a multicultural country, I understand that choosing care is not simply about finding a service. It is about trusting someone with the routines, values and memories that help a parent remain themselves.
A mother may forget where she placed her glasses, yet remember every word of a childhood song. Your father may struggle to describe pain in English, but explain it clearly in the language he has spoken all his life. A meal may be nutritious, but if nothing looks, smells or tastes familiar, will it feel like care?
For many adult children in multicultural families, choosing support for a parent carries one quiet fear: Will they understand the person I know?
Care that recognises the whole person
Good care should protect more than safety and routine. It should recognise the identity formed across a lifetime: language, faith, food, humour, family roles, music and memories.
Culturally appropriate care begins with curiosity rather than assumptions. It asks how your parent wishes to be addressed, who should participate in decisions, which traditions bring comfort and what makes an unfamiliar place feel safe.
The small things are not small
Imagine a carer pronouncing your mother’s name correctly without being reminded. Imagine your father hearing a familiar greeting when he feels anxious. A favourite dish may encourage someone to eat. A community song may unlock a memory. A family photograph may begin a conversation when words are difficult.
To an older person, these moments can say: I still belong. My story still matters.
For their children, that recognition brings something equally valuable—peace of mind. Care is no longer being delivered to a “client”; it is being shaped around a person.
Start before a crisis
Let us know the language, routines, beliefs, foods, relationships and memories that matter most to your parent. When speaking with a provider, ask: How will these preferences be understood, recorded and protected?
The Association for Culturally Appropriate Services (AfCAS) helps strengthen culturally respectful services through training, mentoring, cultural audits, community engagement and advice. Our culturally diverse team is trained and experienced to provide care with empathy and understanding of individual needs.
Your parent spent a lifetime building a story. A care plan should record more than appointments and medication. It should also protect the name your parent prefers, the food they recognise, the language that reassures them and the people they trust.
What is one part of your parent’s story that care should never erase?
We are here to take care of your beloved ones with love, respect and culturally diverse needs. They deserve the comfort they wish for and you deserve the assurance that your loved ones are dearly taken care of!
Student ID: 10679980
(Disclaimer: This content is for the sole purpose of teaching and learning at Edith Cowan University and has not been endorsed or otherwise approved by the organisation it promotes.)
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