Greek-speaking staff leap language barrier
More than a quarter of Resthaven Western Community Services clients are from a culturally or linguistically diverse background.
Of those customers who were born in a non-English speaking country, 55% are Greek or Italian. For this reason, it is vital that staff at the site at 96 Woodville Road, Woodville, are able to cater to their needs.
‘ Resthaven Western Community Services has the highest number of Greek-speaking staff of all Resthaven community services locations,’ says Manager, Franco Parenti, who is himself an Italian expat.
‘We are delighted when the language skills of our staff contribute to positive outcomes for older people.’
‘A great example of this was our attendance at the Mediterranean Health and Wellbeing Expo in late 2018; one of our Home Support Workers, Paul, who is fluent in Greek, was happy to attend to answer questions and help older Greek-speaking people to understand the aged care system.’
‘Paul attended the expo along with Resthaven Western Community Services Coordinators, Belinda and Jodi, and Resthaven Multicultural Project Officer, Priscilla de Pree.’
Priscilla says, ‘Resthaven has been working in partnership with the Organisation of Hellene & Hellene-Cypriot Women of Australia (OEEGA) for some time, to find ways to inform their members about aged care services.’
‘One of the outcomes of our partnership was our attendance at the Mediterranean Health and Wellbeing Expo, where Paul’s language skills were very much appreciated by the Greek community members.’
‘The established partnership with OEEGA continues in 2019, with other activities planned for the Greek community.’
‘According to the 2016 Census, people aged 65+ from a Greek-speaking background are the second largest group in the metropolitan Western area (18%). Older people of Italian heritage are in first place at 27%.’
‘It’s no surprise, then, that the Resthaven Multicultural Programs team receives many requests from sites for bilingual staff to meet clients’ language needs. With demand ever-increasing, we are always looking for more bilingual staff.’
‘In 2018, the most requested language was Greek, which is very high demand, followed by German and Arabic.’
‘If you speak a language other than English and are interested in supporting older people to live their best life, I encourage you to check the Resthaven “careers” page to check current vacancies: www.resthaven.asn.au/careers.’
Resthaven’s residential and in-home care and support options are offered throughout metropolitan Adelaide, the Adelaide Hills, Murraylands, Riverland, Barossa, Fleurieu Peninsula and the Limestone Coast.