ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Australia's population is growing, ageing, and becoming more ethnically diverse, resulting in barriers and challenges around social inclusion for non-English speaking migrants and refugees. This scoping review investigates the experiences of ageing within Australia among older adults from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) migrant and refugee backgrounds to identify barriers to social integration. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A scoping review of English-language literature and grey literature on the experiences of ageing among CALD migrant and refugees living in Australia was conducted from January 2000 to January 2021, according to Arksey and O'Malley's review process. A total of 34 studies were identified for analysis. RESULTS: Three primary themes were identified: (i) socio-cultural similarities in settlement experiences; (ii) engagement with technology for social connection; and (iii) engagement with family and community networks. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Ageing, language, socio-cultural and technology contexts shape attitudes to belonging, as well as access to sociomedical services. We argue a cultural well-being framework may assist in developing policy for improved social integration of older CALD adults. As the focus is on social and cultural experiences, all studies with a primary focus on medical and other chronic conditions were excluded. Future studies could include health related articles to present a more comprehensive approach regarding older CALD adult needs. Follow-up research could focus on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the experiences of older adults in Australia, in particular those of CALD backgrounds.
ABSTRACT
The world took a beating from COVID-19, with no nation spared. Australia's response to the pandemic has been recognized as particularly successful, with the comparatively small total of COVID-19 related fatalities. However, these achievements in controlling the virus and keeping the economy buoyant are contrasted by significant failures, particularly the Federal and state governments' inability to contain the outbreak within the aged care sector. This commentary forms an understanding of the COVID-19 outbreak in Australia's aged care sector, drawing from articles published in the 'The Australian' newspaper. We focus on priorities, responses and management at different levels, observing subsequent impacts, not only on elders, but also on workers and the wider community. Our findings indicate that neglect of elders is a pre-existing cultural and social tendency that was exacerbated and also made visible through this pandemic. The media articles particularly vilified what they saw to be government inaction, failing to address issues of safety and regulation that already plagued the aged care sector prior to the pandemic, all of which were intensified by COVID-19.