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Diversity in Aged Care
The aged care industry in Queensland faces staffing pressures due to a growing population, with the culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) workforce providing a solution.
Welcoming diversity into the aged care workforce
Key Statistics
CALD workers make up 35% of the residential aged care workforce and 21% of home care workers, with higher proportions in facilities with more CALD clients. Recent research shows that 52% of workers were born outside of Australia and 42% have a first language other than English.
Workforce Challenges
The aged care and support workforce is highly diverse, and the industry is increasingly dependent on recruitment of care workers from overseas to fill workforce shortages. However, there is increasing anecdotal evidence that some older people do not welcome care and support from workers whose cultural background is different from their own.
The Research
The Clarity Consortium was commissioned by the Council on the Ageing (COTA) Queensland to research and write the Welcoming diversity into the age care workforce report which examines the issue of cultural diversity in the aged care workforce, focusing on the acceptance of workers from diverse backgrounds.
The research aims to identify:
How pervasive the issue of lack of acceptance of workers of diverse cultures is and how it plays out.
What strategies have been used successfully by families and community services to encourage older Australians’ choice and acceptance of diverse workers.
The key success factors behind effective strategies.
