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The language needs of residents from linguistically diverse backgrounds in V ictorian aged care facilities
Author(s) -
Runci Susannah J.,
Eppingstall Barbara J.,
Ploeg Eva S.,
Graham Georgia,
O'Connor Daniel W.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
australasian journal on ageing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.63
H-Index - 34
eISSN - 1741-6612
pISSN - 1440-6381
DOI - 10.1111/ajag.12200
Subject(s) - metropolitan area , mainstream , resource (disambiguation) , medicine , family medicine , nursing , psychology , political science , computer science , computer network , pathology , law
Objectives To investigate the language needs of residents of aged care facilities within the S tate of V ictoria, A ustralia, and determine what language resources were accessible to them. Methods Postal questionnaires were sent to 586 aged care facilities, enquiring about residents' and staff members' languages and language‐specific resources. Results The response rate was 38%. The majority of facilities had residents who spoke non‐ E nglish languages, and 55 different languages were represented. Three‐quarters of the facilities employed staff members who spoke to residents in non‐ E nglish languages and employed language‐specific resources. The metropolitan and ethnospecific facilities had a greater presence of non‐ E nglish‐speaking residents and staff and more commonly used language‐specific resources in comparison with regional and mainstream facilities. Conclusion We found a large number of languages used by many residents from non‐ E nglish‐speaking backgrounds, with evidence of a large unmet language resource need. Unmet need was greatest in rural areas.