Association for Culturally Appropriate Services-afcas

02/10/2026

We're keen to have you come and engage in meaningful conversations!💫

A welcoming table and an open conversation for our multicultural carers.

Keeping connection strong across languages, generations, and health changes is a shared experience across our diverse communities.

On Wednesday 14 October, AfCAS invites you to When Words Change. We are bringing multicultural and multilingual carers together for a relaxed brunch to talk about what communication, care, and cultural connection mean in everyday life.

There are no formal presentations or pressure to speak, just an open, respectful room where your presence is valued and your community’s voice is heard.

🗓 When: Wednesday 14 October 2026 | 10:30 AM – 1:00 PM

📍 Where: AfCAS, 544 William Street, Mount Lawley (free street parking available)

🎟 Cost: Free (light lunch provided)

RSVP by 9 October 2026

Link: https://events.humanitix.com/when-words-change-a-carers-week-conversation

👉 It is essential for catering purposed that you reserve your seat through the link or the QR code in the flyer below:

11/09/2026

The Association for Culturally Appropriate Services (AfCAS) Chairperson, Mary Gurgone and Ian Thompson, from PICAC share their raw experiences as carers of their dear family members who suffered with dementia. It is the lived experience added to deep research and training that will give you a practical and effective support from our care training.

Watch the interview here: https://lnkd.in/gWdmT-mV

Contact us at [email protected] to express your interest in getting training and resources to help you care for culturally diverse seniors in your life.

Fortis Consulting, PICAC Alliance, Carers WA, City Of Canning Wa, Chung Wah Association Inc., MYVISTA, Community Vision Australia Limited, Edith Cowan University (ECU), McCusker foundation

24/05/2026

As National Volunteer Week comes to an end, we want to thank all our volunteers for all they do. Without you, we couldn’t help as many migrant seniors experience new friendships and combat their loneliness as effectively.

Thank you all again, so very much!

If you are interested in our work, or know someone who may be interested, you can find out more here: https://www.afcas.net/volunteer-visitor
Or you can contact us here: https://www.afcas.net/contact-us
We look forward to hearing from you 😊

21/05/2026

Today, Mary is presenting a workshop in collaboration with the City of Vincent on Dementia Care in CALD communities.

Our recent internal volunteer event provided us with some fantastic insights into general dementia care, which will help us continually develop and improve our recurring workshop events.

This workshop has been developed based on United Nations research on caring for adults. Past presentations received fantastic reviews and outcomes.

If you were unable to attend today's workshop, we would love to hear from you if you or your organisation would be interested in us running another workshop soon.
Let us know your interest by contacting us here: https://www.afcas.net/contact-us

18/05/2026

This week is Australia’s National Volunteer Week, and in that spirit, we want to take a moment to appreciate all our incredible volunteers. We had the opportunity to recognise their efforts at our recent Volunteer Network event, and a few new volunteers also signed up!

Thank you all for all your hard work, time, and support 🥰🤗

Volunteering is a positive and rewarding experience that can take as little as an hour a fortnight. If you are interested in what we do or volunteering with us, make this Your Year to Volunteer!
You can find out more here https://www.afcas.net/volunteer-visitor

15/05/2026

On Thursday, 21st May, our very own Mary Gurgone, in partnership with the City of Vincent, will be running a free workshop entitled Dealing with Dementia in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Communities.

This workshop has been developed by AfCAS, based on United Nations research on how carers can best care for adults and people with disabilities.

Covering practical ways for carers, family, and community members to support people living with dementia, it will share real experiences, simple digital tools, and everyday strategies to strengthen both connection and care.

If you have not had a chance to attend this workshop before, this is a fantastic opportunity to get involved!

We have confirmed that you do not need to be a resident of the City of Vincent to attend. 🧡💙

To register your attendance, please visit https://www.vincent.wa.gov.au/events/dealing-with-dementia-in-cald-communities/3615 or contact [email protected]

This workshop shares real experiences, simple digital tools and everyday strategies to strengthen connection and care. Bookings essential. City of Vincent residents only.

14/05/2026

As we approach the end of the week, we would like to thank everyone who came to our event this past weekend. Volunteer Network: Support & Self Care had an amazing turnout with over 25 attendees!

We all had a productive learning experience, hearing from the eloquent and knowledgeable Samgiita Hope about how “being” is just as important, if not more, than “doing” in dementia care 🤗

Luisa shared insights into her volunteering experience and explained how she has been helping four high school students meet their volunteering requirements for the Duke of Edinburgh Award 🏅

Teniele gave a lovely demonstration on a few techniques you can use to give a hand massage to friends, family, your senior visitee, and even yourself! 🌱

We hope everyone who attended enjoyed the event as much as we enjoyed hosting you all.

We look forward to seeing you all at the next event 🧡💙

30/04/2026

We are excited to announce that we have won the contract to extend our association with the Aged Care Volunteer Visitors Scheme for the next 6 years! This comes as very welcome news as it means we can continue helping our culturally and linguistically diverse seniors for many years to come.

If you would like to read about some of the things we have been up to, our April Newsletter is available on our website 😊

Check out: https://www.afcas.net/blog

29/04/2026

At the AfCAS Tapestry performance, Simone Marino and the choir of Italian seniors were truly a highlight of the day. Music has a powerful way of reaching beyond words, especially for people living with dementia.

As Dr Marino said "music has the power to unlock deep-seated memories, especially when it is culturally meaningful"💙

To read the full article: https://lnkd.in/gh_P5p8M

hashtag hashtag hashtag

01/04/2026

The Association for Culturally Appropriate Services is proud to have amazing volunteers like Shreya Kataria, who have brought so much joy to seniors over the years.

Below is Shreya’s reflection in her own words 💙