Why Culturally Appropriate Care Matters in Australian Aged Care
Updated: Sep 16
Australia's aged-care sector supports people from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. For aged-care managers and decision-makers, culturally appropriate care is more than recognising cultural differences. It involves understanding whether an organisation's services, staff and practices respond effectively to the needs of the communities it serves.
Why It Matters Now
At the 2016 Census, more than one-third of Australians aged 65 and over were born overseas, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Since 1 November 2025, the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards have set the expectation that each older person's identity, culture and diversity are valued and supported. For providers in multicultural communities such as Perth, this is a core part of delivering quality care.
What Does Culturally Appropriate Care Mean?
Culturally appropriate care recognises and respects the cultural and linguistic backgrounds of people receiving care. This can influence how organisations communicate with clients, involve families and deliver services. Language matters too: the AIHW reports that close to half of aged-care users born in North-East Asia need a translating or interpreting service.
For managers, it is important to consider questions such as:
Do our staff have the knowledge and skills to support culturally diverse clients?
Are our current practices appropriate for the communities we serve?
Where are the gaps in our approach?
How effectively do we engage with diverse communities?
These questions help organisations identify opportunities to improve the quality and inclusiveness of their care.
How Can Organisations Improve?
Improving culturally appropriate care means moving beyond awareness to practical action: developing staff knowledge, reviewing organisational practices and strengthening relationships with culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
The Association for Culturally Appropriate Services (AfCAS) offers services that support this process:
Training: culturally appropriate care programs for care workers, supervisors, managers and boards
Mentoring: Train-the-Trainer programs for leaders, managers and supervisors
Cultural Audits & Charters: identifying strengths and gaps against national industry standards
Community Engagement & Advisory Services: helping providers connect with diverse communities
Together, these options help organisations build staff confidence, close gaps in their practice and respond to the expectations of the strengthened Standards.
Take the Next Step 🚀
Understanding the communities your organisation serves is the starting point for more culturally appropriate care, and practical changes can make a real difference to older clients.
👉 Aged-care managers: explore AfCAS services to find out how your organisation can strengthen its approach to culturally diverse communities.
Better care starts with understanding .
Richard Sajee
#TheDigitalMarketingCrew #ECUMKT5325 #AgedCare #CALD #CulturallyAppropriateCare #InclusiveCare #CulturalDiversity #AgedCareAustralia
(Disclaimer: This content is for the sole purpose of teaching and learning at Edith Cowan University.)
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