Screening and Diagnostic Assessment of · policy makers. The Guidelines and System Recommendations document contains recommendations for resources and processes to be put into place

The National Cross Cultural Dementia Network is committed to ensuring that people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds receive accessible and equitable access to all services provided for all Australians. Dementia screening and diagnostic assessment is of primary concern particularly for people from culturally and linguistically diverse background.

Two papers have been produced by the Clinical sub group of the National Cross Cultural Dementia Network in collaboration with the National Ageing Research Institute that address the screening and diagnostic issues with respect to people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities. The Guidelines and System Recommendations document and the accompanying Background paper highlight factors that can influence improved screening and early diagnosis of cognitive impairment, particularly focussing on issues to consider when working with people from non-English speaking backgrounds. The Guidelines can be used as a template to compare to current practice, to determine areas for improved processes to be implemented within a specific service. The ultimate goal is to achieve improved and equitable early screening and diagnosis for all people experiencing mild memory loss.

These Guidelines and System Recommendations are intended to provide information for assessors when they are planning the dementia screening or assessment of a non-English speaking person. They apply to all elements of the screening, assessment and diagnosis process, including cognitive, neuropsychological and functional assessments. They reflect good assessment principles in general, but have been written specifically with dementia-related assessments in mind. They have also been written for service managers and policy makers. The Guidelines and System Recommendations document contains recommendations for resources and processes to be put into

place to enable practitioners to make best use of these guidelines. A Background paper (Screening and diagnostic assessment of non-English speaking people with dementia: A Background paper, report for Alzheimer’s Australia) provides more information supporting the rationale behind these recommendations. Effective screening of people reporting mild memory loss can result in early treatment and support for the patient and their carer / family. There are a number of barriers that currently limit screening and early diagnosis in practice, including lack of information in the community, lack of knowledge of the benefits of early identification, and limited knowledge of screening, assessment and referral processes by primary care practitioners. A number of additional factors add to the delay in seeking screening and diagnosis among people from non-English speaking backgrounds. There are a range of strategies at the service system, primary care practitioner, and community levels that need to be implemented to ensure timely and effective cognitive screening for all people experiencing mild memory loss, including those from non-English speaking backgrounds.

There are a number of factors that contribute to many people not seeking screening / assessment until later stages of disease progression. Information needs to be widely available highlighting the signs that indicate that screening is suggested, and the benefits of earlier identification of cognitive impairment. Again, this information should be promoted widely through a range of English and ethno-specific avenues.

These two papers can be found on the National web site

http://www.alzheimers.org.au/content.cfm?infopageid=4116

Helena Kyriazopoulos

Convenor

National Cross Cultural Dementia Network

Inside this issue:

My Language Portal 1

Two new reports on dementia available

2

Steki Tis Haras 3

From Queensland 4-5

My Language 6

Bowls, Bingo and Bocce 7

Educations Translates to better health

8

CU LT U RA L NEW S

December 2007 Volume 2, Issue 4

Alzheimer's Australia N a t i o n a l C r o s s C u l t u r a l D e m e n t i a N e t w o r k N e w s l e t t e r

An Australian Government initiative

Screening and Diagnostic Assessment of Non-English speaking people with dementia

Models used for illustrative

purposes only.

Page 2 Cultural News

THE NETWORK

Convenor

Helena Kyriazopoulos

Alzheimer’s Australia SA

NSW

Yvonne Santalucia

South West Sydney Area Health

Service

Nicky Hayward-Wright

Alzheimer’s Australia NSW

VIC

Natalija Nesvadba

Alzheimer’s Australia Vic

Jaklina Michael

RDNS

QLD

Dino Bazarbassis

Nova Community Care

Julie Smeros

Aged Care Qld

WA

Frank Schaper

Alzheimer’s Australia WA

Maria Bunn

Multicultural Aged Care Services WA

ACT

Lily Muthurajah

Multicultural HaCC

SA

René Grypma

Northern Mental Health Services

Gosia Skalban

Domiciliary Care

TAS

Monika Dutkiewicz

Migrant Resource Centre

NT

Dr Sadhana Mahajani

ACAT Northern Territory

Australian Government

Chris Mitchell

Alan Landford

Alzheimer’s Australia

Helen O’Brien

Web Links

Alzheimer’s Australia www.alzheimers.org.au

Alzheimer’s Disease International

www.alz.co.uk

Australian Government www.australia.gov.au

Australian Multicultural Foundation

www.amf.net.au

Cultural Diversity in Ageing www.culturaldiversity.com.au

Federation of Ethnic Communities Council

(FECCA) www.fecca.org.au

New Online Resource on Culturally Appropriate Aged Care:

www.culturaldiversity.com.au

Diversity in Health 2008 www.dhi.gov.au/conference

Two new reports on dementia available

Two studies on dementia were

commissioned by the Australian Government

under the Dementia Initiative. The reports

were published in January 2007.

1. Dementia Research Mapping Project

The first report was compiled by a team led by the University of

Queensland. The Dementia Research Mapping Project was

designed to provide users with a summary of current academic

research on various aspects of dementia. A wide range of

Australian and overseas research was examined. The report is

available on the Department of Health and Ageing’s website

Ageing Research Online at www.aro.gov.au.

In addition, the final report has been published in CD format and

is available to interested parties free of charge. For a copy please

contact Alex Olah, Department of Health and Ageing, Canberra

email: [email protected] .

2. Dementia in Australia – national data analysis and

development

This report was researched and authored by the Australian

Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). The 'Dementia in

Australia: national data analysis and development' report

presents a profile of the Australian population with dementia, as

well as discussing the characteristics and experiences of those

caring for them.

This report can be found on the AIHW website at

http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/index.cfm/title/10368

Hard copies can be purchased for $37 by calling 1300 889 873.

Dementia Network Update # 15, July 2007 pp2-3.

Page 3 Volume 2, Issue 4

To Steki Tis Haras

Fronditha Care Inc. provides a host home

program called “To Steki Tis Haras” ( “The

haven of happiness”). It is a respite program

which is funded by the Southern

Commonwealth Carer Respite Centre. The

program’s aim is to provide leisure and

socialisation for older persons experiencing

early stages of dementia and respite for

carers. The program is delivered in a culturally

and linguistically appropriate and sensitive

manner. This is even more important for

dementia clients who generally revert back to

their original language.

Eligible clients must reside in Southern

metropolitan areas of Melbourne. The program

takes place in the home of a qualified carer

(Host Carer). All workers undergo police

checks and have relevant training (minimum

Certificate 111 in Aged Care). The host home

is inspected for safety, hygiene and general

suitability.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE

• Older persons of Greek speaking

backgrounds.

• Older persons who are experiencing

early stages of dementia.

• Older persons living at home with the

support of a carer.

• Older persons who are low level care

and are mobile.

• Older persons residing in Southern

Metropolitan areas of Melbourne.

WHO CAN REFER?

• The individual

• Family or friends

• Doctor

• Other service providers

PROGRAM OUTLINE

Location: Bentleigh East

Day of operation: Thursdays between

9.30am—2.45pm.

(Program does not run on Public Holidays)

Cost: $5 per session

Each session includes morning and afternoon

tea and a Greek midday meal.

ACTIVITIES:

• Discussion Groups

• Games

• Arts and Crafts

• Music

• Companionship

• Reading

• TV / Movies

• Gentle Exercise Program

• Outings

For further information contact the Coordinator

of the program Sonya Illiadis on

(03) 9552 4126.

Q U E E N S


Promoting calmness with aromatherapy

Research shows that the soothing and calming effects of aromatherapy may be useful in easing

behaviours of concern in people with dementia.

In May Alzheimer’s Australia (Qld), the Aromatherapy College of Australia and Greek Orthodox

Community Care(GOCC) jointly presented an aromatherapy workshop especially for members of the

Greek community who are family carers of a person with dementia. The free workshop was presented in

English and Greek by a qualified aromatherapy teacher, together with an accredited interpreter. The

workshop was the first collaboration between GOCC and Alzheimer’s Australia (Qld) to present a course

for carers in the Greek community.

“We are very excited about providing the Greek community with equal access to information on

dementia we believe will be useful to carers,” said Julie Smeros, Program Manager Community

Packages at GOCC.

“We find that while there is a high incidence of dementia in the community, carers are often reluctant to

seek help with their caring role. The caring role is seen as an intrinsic part of our culture and we are

keen to introduce the concept of seeking assistance, rather than waiting until the difficulties have

become a crisis situation.

“We believe that if we can encourage carers to seek help in the early stages by participating in courses

on a regular basis, they will be better able to cope and remain in the caring role for as long as they

wish,” she said.

Topics included: what aromatherapy is and how it works; the particular essential oils that are useful for

someone with dementia; and demonstrated various methods of application to suit individual preferences.

Alzheimer’s Australia (Qld) is keen to work with any aged care organisations to present the half-day

aromatherapy workshop for family carers and people with dementia. For further information please call

Meg at the Brisbane Dementia and Memory Community Centre on (07) 3895 8200.

Alzheimer’s Australia (Qld)’s first dedicated

course for Italian-speaking family carers of

people with dementia was held in Mareeba in

May. Working with Diversicare, the Living

with Dementia - Family Carer’s Course was

delivered to fourteen carers with the help of

an interpreter.

“We are always keen to share our dementia

expertise and resources so we work with

community groups to develop courses that are

as appropriate and accessible as possible,”

said Education Services manager Shana Day.

“The Mareeba course was well received and

we are happy to talk to other family carers

who feel they could benefit from something

similar.”

For more information contact Alzheimer’s

Australia (Qld)’s Service Development

Manager, Shana Day, on (07) 3895 8200.

First course for Italian family carers

Q U E E N S L A N D


Greater community reach thanks to

Wicking Trust funds

Thanks to ongoing funding from the JO & JR

Wicking Trust, Alzheimer’s Australia (Qld) has

expanded its education program to help provide

essential dementia information to culturally and

linguistically diverse (CALD) communities across

Queensland.

According to Alzheimer’s Australia (Qld)’s Manager

Service Development, Shana Day, a key aim of the

project is to support CALD organisations who wish

to run and promote education sessions in their own

communities.

“We believe it is essential for communities to feel

in control of their information needs and for

education to be delivered in culturally appropriate

ways by people who are known and trusted by their

local communities. We are consulting with a range

of organisations in metropolitan areas to determine

how our community education program can meet

their specific needs. Responses have been very

positive.

“Our education program emphasises the

importance of consistent content and delivery

methods to eliminate any risk of inaccuracy or

personal interpretation of information. It is vitally

important that the information provided is correct

and can be backed up with quality take-home

materials.

“This is an exciting initiative that would not have

been possible without the support of the JO & JR

Wicking Trust. We anticipate further expanding the

program into Cape York communities in the near

future,” said Shana.

Four 30-minute modules have already been

produced. These cover; Therapies and

Communication; Coping with Placement;

Information for Family and Friends; and Memory

Changes. The modules can be presented together

to make a two-hour session if preferred.

Topics were selected following consultation with

consumers and feedback from earlier education

sessions. The program also uses the

comprehensive Dementia Help Sheets available

from Alzheimer’s Australia.

To learn more about Alzheimer’s Australia (Qld)’s

community education programs, please call

Education Services on (07) 3895 8200.


My Language

Public libraries play an important role in providing the community with access to information. In our multicultural society one of the challenges for libraries is to ensure that information resources are available in the languages spoken by community members who come from non-English speaking backgrounds.

Over the last decade the internet has become a well established resource within public libraries that enables access to a huge range of online information resources. It can also expand the breadth of available information to people who need to access information in their first language.

A collaboration between the state and territory libraries of NSW, QLD, SA, VIC, WA, NT and ACT has resulted in a practical website that allow people to easily find a wide range of information resources in their first language. MyLanguage.gov.au has been developed to allow public libraries to facilitate culturally and linguistically diverse communities’ access to the internet. Through access to aggregated data in over sixty languages, the portal provides access to resources such as search engines, web directories, government websites and updated news headlines.

The MyLanguage concept was inspired by three key ideas: the first is that the Information Society is dependent on fostering access to and publication of multilingual and multicultural information; that libraries are crucial as gateways to multilingual information resources; and that technology and the internet are necessary components to developing access to information and resources for new and emerging communities.

http://www.mylanguage.gov.au

The MyLanguage website is developed by the State Library of Victoria on behalf of the MyLanguage consortium. For more information contact Vicnet, a division of the State Library of Victoria (03) 8664 7001.

www.dhi.gov.au/conference

On 26 July 2007, the Centre for Culture, Ethnicity and

Health (CEH) in partnership with the Ethnic

Communities’ Council of Victoria (ECCV) held a seminar

to explore how well our migrant communities are ageing

in Victoria. The seminar sparked a great deal of interest

from government and the health and aged care sectors,

with over 80 people attending on the day.

The seminar called upon a panel of six experts with

different areas of expertise in the area of positive

ageing. The panel of speakers was introduced by CEO

of North Richmond Community Health Centre, Demos

Krouskos, with following discussion facilitated by Peter

van Vliet, Executive Officer of ECCV.

Barbara Mountjouris, Director of the Office of Senior

Victorians set the context for the seminar by outlining

the Victorian Government’s positive ageing strategy and

related initiatives, emphasising the importance for future

policy to consider the social and economic impacts of

our increasing longevity.

Sue Hendy, Executive Director of the Council on the

Ageing (COTA) posed the question of what ‘healthy

ageing’ and ‘ageing well’ translates to in diverse

languages and cultures and presented her view that

‘ageing well’ can be measured by how we feel about

ourselves as we age. Sue also highlighted the

importance of maintaining lifestyle choices for the baby

boomer generation as this generation comes closer to

hitting retirement, and the social and economic impacts

of these changing expectations of our older population.

Marion Lau, a passionate advocate for ethnic

communities and the current chair of the ECCV Aged

Care Committee presented her view that since the

beginning of the Victorian ethnic movement in the early

1970’s, a bed of roses for migrants from CALD

backgrounds remains to be seen, cautioning the

audience that without governments and communities

genuinely working together towards breaking down

barriers to access and participation for our CALD

communities, our ageing migrants could well be faced

with “a bed of thorns.”

Elisabeth Drozd, Executive Officer of Australian Polish

Community Services outlined the seven principles of

the1998, Commonwealth Charter of Public Service in a

Culturally Diverse Society and suggested that when

evaluating the responsiveness of Governments to our

culturally and linguistically diverse population, the

Charter should be seen as a key point of reference.

Dr Susan Feldman of Monash University spoke about

the intricacies of how men and women experience

ageing and how gender frames men’s and women’s

roles, identities, fit, responsibilities and expectations as

they age and the double jeopardy of disadvantage that

language and cultural barriers can add to the experience

of ageing.

Stavroula Mavroudis, Manager of Aged and Disability

Services at Australian Greek Welfare Society stressed

that ageing and positive ageing are issues for all

generations, and called for images, views and

experiences of culturally and linguistically diverse older

people to be included when tackling the issue of ageism

in our broader community. Stavroula also

acknowledged the importance of ethnic senior citizens

clubs and social groups in maintaining social interaction

and engagement for the Greek community as they age.

Finally, Michael Hillier, Socialisation Coordinator at the

Brotherhood of St Laurence made note of the current

lack of widespread funding for positive ageing and social

support initiatives; where the bulk of funding comes in

the form of generally once-off grants for seniors’

exercise programs or small amounts of funding provided

to aged care providers to run social support groups

through the Home and Community Care program.

Michael also highlighted the importance of supporting

the positive ageing of our community by honouring

people’s individual interests and for programs to provide

opportunities for individuals to meet like minded people

rather than like aged or able bodied people.

Comments made during the following panel discussion

and close of the seminar included the recognition of

diminishing social space and opportunities for people to

access and meet in safe areas and that as we lose

these opportunities to maintain social friendships, we

become unwell. Calls were made for the need to

evaluate how far governments have come in instituting

culturally inclusive and appropriate policies and

programs. Proposals were made for the development of

a multicultural aged care strategy and the need to

include our newer arriving migrant community members

in dialogue about ageing, as well as looking to our

migrant communities as positive examples of leading

healthy lifestyles as they age.

The seminar prompted a great deal of interest and

discussion about the way in which our CALD

communities are ageing within out wider community.

This highlights the need for a great deal more work to be

done in the area by both governments and the general

community.

Natasha Kukanja

Policy officer, Aged Care

ECCV

Bowls, Bingo and Bocce Exploring How Well Our Migrants Are Ageing



Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun

Boze

Narodzenie

Καλά Χριστούγεννα και

Ευτυχισµένο το Νέο

Ετος

Chung Mung Giang Sinh

Buone Feste Natalizie

Kala

Christouyenna

Zalig kerstfeest

Boas Festas

Selamat Hari Natal

Sung Tan Chuk Ha

Merry Christmas

From the National

Cross Cultural

Dementia Network.

Royal District Nursing Service

(RDNS) clients originally from

Macedonia will benefit from a newly

launched education package that will

help them to manage their diabetes.

Diabetes is a chronic health

condition becoming increasingly

prevalent in Australia, and

Australians born in some overseas

regions are at greater risk of

developing the illness.

“The Macedonian Diabetes

Education Package was developed

to provide RDNS nursing staff with a

culturally appropriate resource for

client and carer education as one

component of the overall

management of diabetes’ explains

Jaklina Michael, RDNS’ Cultural

Liaison Coordinator.

With over 30% of RDNS’ clients born

in non-English speaking countries,

ensuring their equal access to our

services is achieved through RDNS’

Cultural Planning Framework. Via

this channel, and with the support of

RDNS’ Clinical Leadership Group on

diabetes a dedicated Macedonian

education package on diabetes was

developed.

Macedonian was chosen as the

feature language for the pilot

program as research showed there

were very few resources available in

that language, and what literature

was available was aimed at too high

a level of literacy.

Co-managing the project were

Jaklina Michael and Tracy Aylen,

one of RDNS’ clinical nurse

consultants in diabetes. They

developed the project in partnership

with Macedonian Community

Welfare Association Inc. and through

extensive consultation with the

Macedonian community.

“The final education package

includes a set of guidelines, bilingual

information sheets, a flip chart as

well as audio resources including a

tape, CD and transcripts” said

Jaklina.

”The package is used by RDNS

nurses to assess the learning styles

and needs of Macedonian clients

and carers and assist them with the

self-management of diabetes.”

“Importantly, it provides a template

that can be adapted in the future to

enable RDNS to provide similar

products and benefits to other ethnic

groups and on other health related

topics, such as dementia”

The package received the Lilly

Innovation Award at the 2006

Australian Diabetes Educators

Association Annual Scientific

Meeting.

The Macedonian Diabetes Education

Package is available for sale. The

order form is available on the RDNS

website: http://www.rdns.com.au/NR/

rdonlyres/266D7ABD-21AA-4125-

AFC8-9ED9E08EBDEF/10489/

OrderformAllPub2007.pdf

Questions about the package can be

directed to Jaklina Michael –

[email protected] or (03) 9854

3444

JAKLINA MICHAEL

Cultural Liaison Coordinator

Royal District Nursing Service

Education translates to better health Royal District Nursing Service, Melbourne

Screening and Diagnostic Assessment of · policy makers. The Guidelines and System Recommendations document contains recommendations for resources and processes to be put into place

Documents