From June 2020, all aged care assessment and delivery services now have access to free sign language and interpreting services to support older Australians who are deaf, deafblind, or hard of hearing to access or engage with Australian Government funded aged care services.
Understanding individual and family needs and preferences is essential to providing aged care and palliative care consistent with a person’s values and beliefs. Providing culturally safe care is founded on respect for peoples’ background and lived experiences.
When we focus on the group of older Australians who are not doing so well at the moment, we see numerous challenges related to finances, health, age discrimination and a general lack of trust in Government and the future.