Excellence Awards

Northern Health Transcultural & Language Services (TALS) Department

Yue Hu from Northern Health

In response to the rapid growth in population and cultural diversity in its catchment, in 2007 Northern Health restructured its Transcultural & Language Services Department to standardize services across all its hospitals, and better address demand for interpreters.

Since then Northern Health grew its in-house staff from 4 interpreters covering 4 languages to almost 50 covering 17 languages; additionally, at the same time, demand for interpreters grew from just over 15,000 requests per annum, to almost 80,000 in 2021. Today an interpreter is booked for 20% of all appointments in over 100 languages.

As well as shifting from outsourcing demand to external agencies to covering requests in-house to guarantee greater access to interpreters, Northern Health added new portfolios to its language services: translation of medical material, transcultural training for all staff, and education opportunities. Northern Health also developed and implemented successive Cultural Responsiveness Plans, and ascertained all research projects included patients with limited English proficiency so that the research produced reflected the catchment in which it operates. These strategies resulted in better patient care, and improved health outcomes for CALD Australians, including halving the gap in length of stay in hospital between patients who require and interpreter and those who don’t.

Multicultural Aged Care services Geelong

Luba Pryslak from MACS Geelong

Multicultural Aged Care services Geelong or MACS for short is a community-based, not for profit organisation has been providing innovative, integrated and culturally appropriate aged care services to Geelong’s migrant and non-migrant community since 1994. An extensive on-site and local program of individual and group activities is responsive to the cultural preferences, worship choices and general interests of MACS residents and consumers. Specialist programs at MACS include;

• visiting various local events, performances, cultural activities, shops and dining venues using MACS community bus
• on-site cultural dining and culture-specific activities
• watercolour and multi-media workshops
• MACS Mindful Moves program – a seated exercise program incorporating elements of Pilates, yoga, Tai Chi, strength training, balance and flexibility exercises  
  
  

Professor Bianca Brijnath

Professor Bianca Brijnath, NARI

Professor Bianca Brijnath has a national reputation for her work to improve the quality of life for older CALD Australians. Working both nationally and internationally, Bianca is leading four national projects aimed at:

1. Increasing awareness of dementia prevention (ADAPT Study),
2. Improving interpreter training for cognitive assessment for dementia (the MINDSET Study)
3. Increasing awareness of timely dementia diagnosis and care in CALD communities (the Moving Pictures Study) and,
4. Improving dementia care in CALD families (the Drawing Out Care Study).

She has also worked on the Development of Dementia Training Australia’s training program on culture and dementia and delivery to 200+ health and aged care workers in Victoria and Tasmania (2018-19),  gives advice on a number of government advisory groups and peak bodies working groups and receives regular requests by the Victorian State Government to present on culture, dementia, and aged care research.