ABS statistics indicated that one in six people over the age of 65 did not speak English as their main language at home, and the older CALD population was increasing faster than those born in English speaking countries and in South Australia.
With this insight, Resthaven became the first established aged care service provider in South Australia to establish a series of multicultural programs in 2005. The programs encompassed a wide spectrum of Asian and European nationalities.
‘We recognise and embrace the rich diversity of the Australian community, value inclusion, unity and tolerance and respect the dignity of each individual, paying due regard to their country of birth, language, culture and beliefs. Resthaven’s commitment to building links with communities is evident through our multicultural programs.’ — Richard Hearn, CEO.
In 2008, resources were developed to support older German speaking people and their families to access aged care. A key resource was the development of a bi-lingual English/ German aged care service directory for German speaking people, which was launched on 30 October. The Federally funded Community Partners Program enabled this project. Additional Federal Government funding was received for this program in the financial year 2009-10, this time with a focus on Serbian communities.
By 2013, Resthaven’s multicultural programs had grown three times over.
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