Respect for the needs of individuals and groups with specific needs is embedded within a human rights approach to ageing and health.
By embedding diversity in the design and delivery of aged care, the Aged Care Diversity Framework seeks to support all people to access safe, equitable and quality aged care, while enabling consumers and carers to be partners in this process.
Four diversity action plans have been developed to directly support government, aged care providers, consumers, families and carers address barriers and challenges affecting the ability of specific groups to access mainstream and flexible aged care services:
- Diverse older people (shared actions recognising commonalities across groups)
- Older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
- Older people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
- Older lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender diverse, and intersex peoples.
The Inclusive Health and Ageing website provides community care providers with resources and information to ensure diversity and inclusion are considered in practice.
End of life
Effective communication with the older person is important to understand their preferences and determine the best approach to their care. This can be particularly important when addressing end-of-life care issues. Palliative Care Australia’s What Matters Most resources provide guidance for these conversations. If needed, the Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) can arrange for an advocate to support older individuals in understanding and exercising their rights.
The National Palliative Care Program has a range of palliative care and advance care planning resources that can support care at the end of life for all older people regardless of their background, culture, location, or life preferences.
CareSearch: Finding culturally appropriate resources in palliative care
Offers a range of resources and supports for individuals and health professionals, including information on diverse communities such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, care leavers, culturally and linguistically diverse groups, individuals experiencing homelessness, those with an intellectual disability, LGBTI+ communities, prisoners, people in rural and remote areas, and veterans.
ELDAC: Diversity resources
ELDAC provides organisational resources to support inclusive end-of-life care for older Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples; older people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds; and lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender diverse, and intersex elders.
CarerHelp: Communities
CarerHelp has resources for family carers with specific resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and people who are LGBTIQ+. It also provides information in other languages.
Gwandalan: Supporting Palliative Care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities
Resources support the provision of culturally safe and responsive palliative care by upskilling frontline staff to contextualise care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and deliver services in a way which supports a good ‘finishing up’.
Advance Care Planning Australia
Includes resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the LGTBIQ+ community.
Page updated 29 October 2024