Helping older people feel at home

Home provides us all with a great sense of comfort and familiarity. We’re lucky that here in Australia, there are a range of options and services to help older people be cared for at home or have access to sustainable housing.

With in-home care, many are open to the idea of having a carer come in each day to help with tasks like dressing or preparing meals. However, for older people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, it can be daunting to have someone come into the home that is not familiar with their language or culture. At Spectrum, we offer a Multicultural Home Support Service (MHSS) to help people in need of in-home care or community-based respite. This service can also provide care to people on a short-term basis that may have recently come out of hospital or rehabilitation facilities.

As part of the MHSS, there are many options available to help older people from CALD backgrounds feel at home. With our support planners, we can create a fee-for-care package designed to meet the changing needs of our clients. As part of this package, a qualified MHSS Support Worker will be matched to the cultural, gender, linguistic and religious preferences of the client. To bring the MHSS to life, Spectrum employs over 200 bilingual and bicultural workers that are fluent in more than 45 languages, including Greek, Italian, Macedonian, Chinese, Serbian, Spanish, Arabic, Turkish and Vietnamese.

Spectrum’s Assistance with Care and Housing (ACH) program also helps elderly people experiencing financial hardship or uncertainty with their current living situation. The program helps low-income migrants aged 55 or over to secure a sustainable and safe home. Spectrum is currently working in the Darebin, Whittlesea, Banyule and Yarra regions to provide the right advice and address specific cultural needs to help people establish a home and connection with the community.

For more information about helping an older person feel at home, please contact us.