PICAC Alliance

19/03/2026

Fortis Consulting (PICAC WA) presented alongside AFCAS (The Association for Culturally Appropriate Services) at a Lunar New Year community event, to promote the importance of the Aged Care Volunteer Visitors Scheme (ACVVS) and its role in supporting older people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

The event provided an opportunity to highlight the ACVVS program and the important role volunteer visitors play in building connection and companionship for older people, while also engaging with community organisations and volunteers involved in delivering the program.

The event brought together aged care providers and community visitors to connect and cooperate, while celebrating culture through traditional dance and other cultural performances.

PICAC WA values opportunities to work alongside organisations such as AFCAS to help raise awareness of the Community Visitor Program and support culturally appropriate engagement with older people across the aged care sector.

Thank you to AFCAS and the volunteers involved in the ACVVS for their ongoing work supporting older people in the community.

22/12/2025

✨ Season’s Greetings from the PICAC Alliance ✨

As the year draws to a close, we extend our warmest wishes for Christmas and the New Year ahead to our members, stakeholders and communities across Australia. We acknowledge and celebrate the many cultural, religious, and seasonal traditions observed during this time of year.

Thank you for your continued collaboration and commitment to improving outcomes for older people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities. We look forward to working together in the year ahead to strengthen inclusion, quality, and equity in aged care.

🎄 Wishing you a safe, restful, and joyful festive season.

10/06/2025

As we continue to navigate the evolving landscape of aged care reform, the brief deferral of the new Aged Care Act and Support at Home program to 1 November 2025 is an important development.
We'll be keeping a close eye on these changes and will make sure to keep our community informed with any further updates or guidance as they are released.
This is a critical time for the sector, and ensuring that older Australians - including those from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds - receive safe, high-quality, and inclusive care throughout the transition remains a shared priority.

The start of the new Aged Care Act and Support at Home program will be briefly deferred to 1 November 2025.

We are working closely with the sector to develop the details of the new laws and support providers to deliver the changes.

The brief deferral will ensure:
✔️ older people accessing care are prepared
✔️ workers are trained and supported
✔️ provider operations and systems are ready.

The new Act is transforming aged care laws to put the rights of older people first.

For more information, see the comments below. 👇

05/06/2025

The Living with Dementia Survey aims to inform, develop and evaluate policies outlined in the recently released National Dementia Action Plan (NDAP) 2024-2034. The NDAP aims to:
· Promote dementia friendly community attitudes (impacting stigma, discrimination, agency and autonomy)
· Improve dementia diagnosis (in the health sector)
· Improve dementia post diagnostic care and support (across the health, aged and disability care sectors) and
· Improve coordination of care and support​

Our team is working together with the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare - AIHW to help track progress of the above policies included in the NDAP.

The survey is NOW OPEN to people living with dementia in the community and their care partners.

The easiest way to participate is by visiting www.dementiasurvey.com.au for more information, signing up to StepUp for Research at https://lnkd.in/f_-t_7A, or by reaching out to the Living with Dementia Survey team at the University of Canberra's WellRes Unit at [email protected] or on 1800 964 333.

📷&ℹ️ credit: Department of Health, Disability and Aging, Commonwealth of Australia

The Living with Dementia Survey aims to inform, develop and evaluate policies outlined in the recently released National Dementia Action Plan (NDAP) 2024-2034. The NDAP aims to:
• Promote dementia friendly community attitudes (impacting stigma, discrimination, agency and autonomy)
• Improve dementia diagnosis (in the health sector)
• Improve dementia post diagnostic care and support (across the health, aged and disability care sectors) and
• Improve coordination of care and support

Our team is working together with the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) to help track progress of the above policies included in the NDAP.

The survey is NOW OPEN to people living with dementia in the community and their care partners.

The easiest way to participate is by visiting www.dementiasurvey.com.au for more information, signing up to StepUp for Research at www.stepupfordementiaresearch.org.au, or by reaching out to the Living with Dementia Survey team at the University of Canberra at [email protected] or on 1800 964 333.

📷 & ℹ️ credit: Department of Health, Disability and Aging, Commonwealth of Australia

02/06/2025

The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (Commission) are now providing wider access to Alis, their Aged Care Learning Information Solution, and have recently upgraded the platform to improve the learning experience for the sector. The Commission are also trialling free access to Alis. From 1 July 2022, all workers of Commonwealth-funded aged care providers can access our learning content free of charge.

Workers can sign themselves up to Alis at learning.agedcarequality.gov.au. When signing up, workers need to link their account to the service provider they work for and be approved by the administrator for their service.

Learning managers and administrators at aged care services can also sign up their staff and provide them with access to Alis content.

https://learning.agedcarequality.gov.au/user_login

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18/03/2025

The PICAC Alliance continues to play a crucial role in enhancing dementia care and support for multicultural communities. Representing the Alliance, Agnieszka from PICAC SA, was part of the DrawCare Stakeholder Advisory Group, demonstrating this commitment in action. Vandana, from the PICAC Alliance Secretariat, coordinated the recruitment of research participants and facilitated information dissemination. Cecilia from COTA NT (PICAC NT) participated in the research project sharing her lived experience as a carer, and later joined the launch panel as a guest speaker, reemphasising the crucial importance of self-care in a carer’s life.

Mary Gurgone, Chair of the Association for Culturally Appropriate Services-afcas (AfCAS) and former leader of PICAC WA, continues to champion culturally inclusive dementia care. AfCAS will be delivering workshops across WA based on Moving Pictures, a resource designed to support culturally diverse communities. These workshops will be particularly beneficial for family carers, volunteer visitors, and community members from diverse backgrounds. The resources being shared were developed by the National Ageing Research Institute Ltd (NARI) with input from Mary Gurgone and AfCAS, and are available in Arabic, Cantonese, Greek, Hindi, Italian, Mandarin, Spanish, Tamil, Vietnamese, as well as English. Care workers supporting these communities will also find the workshops valuable.

The FREE Dementia Workshop – Dealing with Dementia in Culturally Diverse Communities is supported by the Department of Communities through the Aged Care Friendly Community Grants, which funded these sessions.

For further information follow this link: https://www.nari.net.au/drawing-out-care

The National Ageing Research Institute Ltd (NARI) and the Draw-Care Team invite you to the launch of the dementia care animations. This three-year study aimed to improve the lives of CALD family carers and people living with dementia using multilingual animations based on the World Health Organization’s iSupport Lite programme, a project partner.

The online launch will be held on Monday 17th March 2025 at 3:00-4:00 pm, AEDT. If interested, you can register for free here: https://events.humanitix.com/draw-care-online-launch

06/03/2025

COTA NT (Council on the Ageing Northern Territory Inc.) (PICAC NT): Toolkit for people caring for culturally and linguistically diverse older persons

COTA NT announced the release of the Caring for CaLD Seniors Toolkit, an updated and newly named resource from PICAC NT. This free downloadable toolkit provides essential information, in-language resources, practical tools, and templates to support those caring for seniors from culturally and linguistically diverse (CaLD) backgrounds.

Key features include:
✅ Aged care information in multiple languages
✅ Resources for service providers
✅ Translating & interpreting services guidance
✅ The essential Contract Checklist for Providers

The toolkit is available for free download here: https://lnkd.in/gyeu5p24.

PICAC NT also offers free cultural awareness training for care providers.

For more information and resources from PICAC NT you can visit their website or visit: https://lnkd.in/gd5cGUtR

📢 NEW RESOURCE ALERT! 🌏👵

COTA NT’s PICAC NT has launched the Caring for CaLD Seniors Toolkit, a FREE essential resource for anyone supporting older persons from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. 💡

This updated and rebranded toolkit includes:
✅ Aged care information in multiple languages
✅ Practical tools & templates for care providers
✅ Guidance on free translating & interpreting services
✅ The must-have Contract Checklist for Providers

📥 Download it here: www.cotant.org.au/picac/caring-for-cald-seniors-toolkit

💡 PICAC NT also offers free cultural awareness training for care providers! For more info, email [email protected] or call 08 8941 1004.

COTA NT PICAC Alliance Anglicare NT Carers NT Golden Glow Nursing Life Without Barriers Southern Cross Care SA, NT & VIC Inc Regis Aged Care Somerville Community Services TeamHEALTH Multicultural Community Services of Central Australia Endless Possibilities Melaleuca Australia Multicultural Council of the NT Australian Regional & Remote Community Services AGING WITH GRACE

27/02/2025

The Scams Prevention Framework Bill 2025

The Scams Prevention Framework Bill 2025 amends the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 to establish a scams prevention framework which requires service providers in selected sectors of the economy to take a variety of actions to combat scams relating to, connected with, or using their services.

The PICAC Alliance welcomes this bill, recognising its significance in protecting older people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, who are disproportionately affected by scams. Limited knowledge of Australian systems, language barriers, and reduced access to support services increase the risk of financial exploitation within these communities. Strengthening scam prevention measures will help address these vulnerabilities, ensuring that all older Australians, regardless of their cultural or linguistic background, can navigate services safely and with confidence.

This presents a crucial opportunity for the aged care sector to enhance consumer protection and safeguard vulnerable individuals. Given the rising prevalence of scams targeting older adults, particularly those living independently or in residential care, this legislation can compel service providers within aged care to implement stringent measures against fraudulent activities. By mandating actions such as enhanced consumer education, stricter verification processes, and improved reporting mechanisms, the bill should mitigate the financial and emotional toll scams take on older Australians. Such proactive measures not only bolster trust between providers and clients but also reinforce the sector's commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of elderly residents amidst evolving digital threats.

To learn more about the Bill visit the Parliament of Australia's website here:

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25/02/2025

COTA NT (PICAC NT): Client Aged Care Contract Checklist

COTA NT has announced that its Client Aged Care Contract Checklist is now available in 58 languages. The checklist is an essential resource designed to assist older people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CaLD) backgrounds to understand aged care service agreements and make informed decisions about their care.

https://www.cotant.org.au/picac/aged-care-contract-checklists-all-languages/

For more information please refer to the image below:

19/02/2025

The National Ageing Research Institute Ltd (NARI) and the Draw-Care Team invite you to the launch of the dementia care animations. This three-year study aimed to improve the lives of CALD family carers and people living with dementia using multilingual animations based on the World Health Organization’s iSupport Lite programme, a project partner.

The online launch will be held on Monday 17th March 2025 at 3:00-4:00 pm, AEDT. If interested, you can register for free here: https://events.humanitix.com/draw-care-online-launch

05/02/2025

Happy ! 🎉 Celebrating the incredible dedication of primary health care nurses who focus on treating the whole person, embodying the values of holistic and person-centered care. 💙 This approach is at the heart of the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards, set to take effect with the new Aged Care Act and regulatory model.
Learn more about the campaign: https://www.apna.asn.au/profession/primary-health-care-nurses-day

Anglicare NT NT Australian Regional & Remote Community Services Carers NT Life Without Barriers Southern Cross Care SA, NT & VIC Inc Regis Aged Care Australian Multicultural Community Services Connected Women Darwin - Australian Red Cross Melaleuca Australia PICAC Alliance Connected Women Katherine - Australian Red Cross TeamHEALTH Multicultural Community Services of Central Australia Golden Glow Nursing KIND HANDS Nursing Services

05/02/2025

Happy Primary Health Care Nurses Day!

This Primary Health Care Nurses Day, we’re proud to support APNA - Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association in celebrating the incredible contributions of primary health care nurses across the country.

The campaign, ‘Treating the whole person, not just the hole in the person’, highlights the expertise, science, and compassion that these nurses bring to their work every day. They do more than treat symptoms—they take a holistic, patient-centred approach, ensuring the overall well-being of their patients.

Join us in recognising the vital role of primary health care nurses and the difference they make in our communities. 💙👏

Learn more about the campaign by following this link: https://www.apna.asn.au/profession/primary-health-care-nurses-day