Council on the Ageing (PICAC NT)

The Team at Council on the Ageing

Multilingual Resources

PICAC NT maintains a resource library of culturally appropriate care information for multicultural seniors in the NT, and those who are caring for them. PICAC NT can provide resources, information and training on the following topics: culturally appropriate aged care, aged care, multilingual copies of selected Department of Health documents, health care issues for older Territorians and other cultures.

Key resources for CaLD seniors, carers & service providers

ESSENTIAL READING: Caring for CaLD Seniors Toolkit – Jan 2025*

Includes details on how to access resources and tools to care for seniors from CaLD backgrounds and promotes web resources available in multiple languages.

Topics include: catering for CaLD seniors, communication cards and signage, cross cultural communication, dementia awareness, ethnic media (TV and radio), information in languages, incontinence care information in other languages, translated mental health information, translation and interpreting services (NT and national).

Advance Personal Plans

An Advance Personal Plan is a legal document that will set out your future health, financial and life choices should you be unable to make decisions for yourself. Read more about advance personal plans here.

Available through PICAC in Chinese (hakka, simplified and traditional), Greek, Hakha Chin, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Portuguese, Swahili, Tagalog, Tamil, Thai and Vietnamese. Click here to access.

Aged Care Contract Checklists

Click here to access translations

Making a Contract with Clients from CaLD Backgrounds for Home Care* – PICAC has produced two checklists, one for service providers and one for clients.

PICAC_ContractChecklist_Provider_EN As a Service Provider, you should be able to tick ‘yes’ to each of the 7 checklist items.
PICAC_ContractChecklist_Client_EN Before signing a contract for home care, you should be able to tick yes to 10 checklist items.
- Click here for Aged Care Contract checklist in languages most commonly used in the Northern Territory. Click here to access all available languages (58 in total).

Industry knowledge

Charter of Aged Care Rights.

Free translations of documents for service providers

Any of the resources produced by PICAC NT can be freely provided on request. *Aged care contract checklists can be translated free of charge, as can any contracts, flyers and administrative document used by service providers. Contact the PICAC Manager for help with translations.

Links to more resources (a-z)

CaLD Community Profiles (Department of Immigration and Citizenship)
Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing – offers cue cards, aged care signage and multilingual health and aged care information, plus a section on dementia.
COVID-19 Cultural Background Resources (updated 22-04-2020)
COVID_19_Vaccine_Multicultural_Information_Pack (March 2022) – Resources in many languages, posters, stickers etc. – available from the Department of Health.
Cross Cultural Communication – Visit the Centre for Culture, Ethnicity and Health website for articles, reports and tolls associated with communication and language services for seniors from CaLD backgrounds. Refer to Caring for CaLD Seniors Toolkit – Jan 2025 (includes link to Tip Sheet: Speak with clients who have low English proficiency).
Cultural and Religious Guidelines for Service Providers (Northern Territory Office of Multicultural Affairs). Refer to Caring for CaLD Seniors Toolkit – Jan 2025.
Department of Health – The Department of Health web pages are available in multiple languages.
- Department of Health and Aged Care – Ageing and Aged Care
- New Charter of Aged Care Rights
- Diversity Framework and Action Plans
- The Aged Care Quality Standards (Here you may download the App)
Ethnic Media – Refer to Caring for CaLD Seniors Toolkit – Jan 2025 for directions on how to search for radio and TV them.
Meaningful Ageing Australia – See Me Know Me resources help to start conversations with aged care providers and ensure that they see the real people behind names and numbers.
Mental Health – Visit the Mental Health in Multicultural Australia and the Dementia Australia websites for videos and fact sheets in multiple languages
My Aged Care -Translated information is available on this website. Refer to Caring for CaLD Seniors Toolkit – Jan 2025.
Translating and Interpreting Service (Department of Immigration and Citizenship) – available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and provides telephone and onsite interpreting services. More information available from TIS National on 131 450
- Aboriginal Interpreter Service (NT Government) – 24 Hour on-call service: 1800 334 944
- AUSIT Guidelines for Health Professionals Working with Interpreters – Published by the Australian Institute of Interpreters and Translators Inc (AUSIT). Available online.

Training for aged care service providers

Free training to assist Aged Care Service Providers (residential and community based) to provide culturally appropriate aged care which is free from prejudice, shows an understanding of cultural diversity and an awareness of cultural norms and values, avoids stereotyping and which encourages and maintains community cultural links.

Topics may include:

Cultural competence in service delivery
Culture and continence
Working effectively with Translators and Interpreters
Culture and palliative care
Working with a bi-lingual workforce
Culture and dementia
Working with new and emerging communities
Cultural briefings.

Publications & information

Free provision of individual Non Verbal Communication Books (NVCB) for clients unable to communicate effectively in English.
Provide aged care service providers with cultural information appropriate to client requirements.
Promote the use of ‘in language’ information and documents available on trusted websites through its Caring for CaLD Seniors Toolkit – Jan 2025 publication.
Provide Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities and individuals with information about residential and community based aged care and other related issues such as healthy ageing.
Distribute information regarding the various aged care services available: community based services; allied health professionals; the aged care assessment team; Commonwealth Home Support Package (CHSP); home care packages (HCP) and residential aged care facilities.

Promotion

Promote the use of ‘in language’ information available on the My Aged Care website https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/other-languages.

Further information

If you, your community group or organisation would like to talk about the PICAC program and how it may help your group or your clients, please contact the PICAC NT Program Manager.

Checklist for Seniors Signing Aged Care Service Contracts

Service Contracts Checklist in Multiple Languages

Cultural Background Resources Booklet

The Cultural Background Resources Booklet constitutes a comprehensive compilation of websites featuring translated resources. It is equipped with updated hyperlinks and includes informative screenshots to guide service providers in the seamless downloading of these valuable resources.

Advance Personal Plan (APP)

An Advance Personal Plan is a legal document that sets out your future health, financial and life choices should you be unable to make decisions for yourself.

This could happen due to age, illness, an accident, or other life-altering event.

In the Northern Territory the APP replaced the Enduring Power Of Attorney (EPA) in March 2014. An EPA made prior to this date remains valid.

To learn more about the APP, how to make one, who to appoint as a decision maker, and more, please visit the COTA NT website or the Northern Territory Government website.