To ensure older Australians, and their families and carers, could easily access and use the information within the Framework, we conducted deep and broad trauma-informed research and user testing with people with diverse backgrounds and life experiences. 

The Aged Care Act set out nine diverse cohorts for specialised services:  

Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities 
people from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse backgrounds  
people who are financially or socially disadvantaged 
veterans 
people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless 
care leavers (people who spent time in out-of-home care when they were children) 
parents separated from their children by forced adoption or removal 
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or intersex people
people who live in rural or remote areas.

Our work started by talking with people who identified with each of these cohorts to understand their perspectives, needs and concerns. As expected, the overlap was significant with one person often identifying with several groups. This raised the valuable perspective that each of us is made up of many layers, backgrounds and experiences.  

Participants told us that their needs were contextual. Just because you were First Nations or from a multicultural background for example, your connection with community determined how important a specialised care provider would be to you.

People in rural and remote areas didn’t see themselves as having specialised needs, just the challenge of distance. For some Veterans and multi-cultural Australians, it was primarily about maintaining an active social connection to their community by attending events.   

Specialised care was valued most amongst those who had suffered trauma, or complex or potentially embarrassing medical issues related to their background. Here, those people looked for a level of assurance that they would be understood by staff and other residents who shared their experiences.  

We heard that specialist care can take many different forms depending on the community, or communities, a person belongs. There was a wide spectrum of needs for specialised services and the requirements for individuals and communities differed.

Embedding diversity in the aged care system

Department of Health and Aged Care

Starting a new conversation about aged care