Cultural competence and diversity in aged care: What it means and why it matters

What is cultural competence in aged care?

As Australia’s population becomes more diverse, cultural competence in aged care has never been more important. At its core, cultural competence means having the awareness, knowledge, and skills to provide care that respects and responds to each resident’s cultural identity.

For aged care providers, this goes beyond surface-level gestures. It requires understanding values, communication styles, decision-making processes, and religious or spiritual practices that shape a person’s life experience. By embedding these considerations into care, providers create an environment where older people feel seen, heard, and truly at home.

The core principles of cultural competence

Cultural competence is built on a set of guiding principles that shape how care is delivered in diverse settings. These principles ensure that cultural aged care is not only respectful but also responsive to the unique needs of every individual.

• Awareness – recognising your own cultural perspective and potential biases.
• Knowledge – learning about the traditions, languages, and values of different groups.
• Skills – applying this understanding in day-to-day interactions and care planning.
• Respect – valuing diversity as a strength rather than a challenge.

How cultural competence supports better aged care outcomes

When staff approach care with cultural competence, residents experience greater comfort, stronger trust, and better health outcomes. For example, recent studies on mental health claim that care plans that reflect dietary, spiritual, or language needs reduce anxiety and improve well-being. Families also feel reassured knowing their loved one’s background is respected. This is a critical factor in choosing an aged care provider.

Understanding cultural safety in aged care

While cultural competence is about knowing, cultural safety in aged care is about doing. It refers to creating a care environment where residents feel safe, respected, and empowered to express their cultural identity without fear of judgment.

Cultural competence vs cultural safety: What’s the difference?

While these terms are often used together, they highlight different but complementary aspects of care. Cultural competence is about equipping staff with the right tools, training, and awareness to work effectively across cultural boundaries. Cultural safety, however, shifts the focus to how residents actually feel within the care environment.

A service can be competent in knowledge yet still fail to create a truly safe space if residents feel excluded or judged. Understanding the distinction ensures that aged care providers aim not only to build staff capacity but also to create an environment where residents feel a genuine sense of belonging.

• Cultural competence focuses on the caregiver’s knowledge and skills.
• Cultural safety focuses on the resident’s lived experience of feeling respected and secure.

Both are essential, but safety is the ultimate goal.

Why cultural safety is essential in Australian aged care settings

Research from the Department of Health shows that language barriers, isolation, and cultural misunderstandings often lead to poorer outcomes for older people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds. By embedding cultural safety practices, aged care providers reduce these risks and create spaces where residents thrive.

The role of cultural awareness in aged care 

Cultural awareness is the foundation for building trust between residents, families, and aged care providers. Understanding and respecting these differences is essential for delivering high-quality care in a city as diverse as Melbourne, where older people come from a wide range of cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

At Oxa Care, cultural awareness is not treated as an optional extra; it is woven into staff training, care planning, and everyday interactions. By recognising the unique experiences of Melbourne’s multicultural communities, Oxa Care ensures that residents feel connected, respected, and supported in ways that honour their identity and heritage.

Multicultural realities in Melbourne’s aged care system

Melbourne is one of the most multicultural cities in the world. Nearly 40% of Victorians aged 65 and over come from CALD backgrounds - including Italian, Greek, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Indian communities. Aged care services in Melbourne must reflect this reality by offering multilingual staff, culturally appropriate food, and inclusive programs.

Cultural awareness training for aged care workers in Melbourne

Cultural awareness training helps staff move beyond general knowledge to develop the practical skills needed for meaningful, respectful interactions with residents and families.

Training equips staff to:

• Recognise non-verbal cues that differ across cultures.
• Understand modesty, privacy, and family hierarchy in decision-making.
• Avoid cultural assumptions and stereotypes.

Oxa Care invests in ongoing training, including role-play and mentorship programs with bilingual staff, to ensure authentic and respectful care.

Methods for accommodating diversity in aged care

By tailoring communication, meals, activities, and routines, aged care providers like Oxa Care ensure that diversity is respected and actively supported in ways that make residents feel at home.

Communication strategies for diverse backgrounds

Clear communication is the foundation of quality care. This includes providing interpreters, using multilingual signage, and encouraging residents to converse in their preferred language.

Dietary, religious, and lifestyle accommodations

Food is deeply cultural. The diet must be tailored with care, from halal and kosher meals to vegetarian options for Hindu residents. Respecting prayer times, meditation practices, and religious celebrations also ensures residents maintain spiritual well-being.

Inclusive activity planning and social engagement

Aged care activities should reflect cultural traditions, from cooking familiar dishes to celebrating community festivals. At Oxa Care, storytelling, music, and craft workshops are tailored to residents’ cultural backgrounds, helping them stay connected to their identity.

Respecting individual differences in aged care settings

Every resident brings their own history, traditions, and expectations into an aged care setting. Recognising and honouring these individual differences is essential to providing care that feels personal, respectful, and genuinely supportive.

Recognising cultural, linguistic, and religious needs

In deepening our commitment to truly person‑centred care, Oxa Care acknowledges that residents don’t just come with cultural labels; they arrive with individual stories shaped by their regional dialects, faith traditions, and personal values. This means that even speakers of the same language may have vastly different needs - someone speaking Italian in Melbourne might speak a distinct regional dialect, observe different customs, or follow different religious practices than another Italian-speaking resident, and assumptions based on language alone can risk overlooking these nuances.

Research shows that in Australian residential aged care facilities, residents speak over 80 different languages, and in many cases, one in five residents is the only person in their facility speaking their preferred language. This makes linguistic isolation a very real concern unless bespoke care planning is in place. 

Respecting cultural beliefs in day-to-day care

Respecting cultural beliefs often comes down to the small, everyday choices that shape a resident’s sense of comfort. For instance, arranging for same-gender carers during personal care tasks helps uphold cultural expectations of modesty, while using a resident’s preferred name or title demonstrates dignity and respect. When these practices are consistently applied, they transform routine care into an experience where residents feel acknowledged, safe, and truly at home.

How to build a culturally safe and inclusive environment

Creating a truly inclusive aged care setting requires a combination of staff commitment, supportive policies, and active collaboration with the communities being served.

Staff training and continuous learning

Cultural competence is not a one-off course. It requires continuous education, reflection, and adaptation. At Oxa Care, regular training sessions and mentorship programs help staff develop the skills needed to provide authentic and respectful care.

Policies that promote cultural inclusion

Training alone is not enough without structures to back it up. Written policies ensure consistent inclusivity across all staff and shifts, covering areas such as dietary planning, interpreter use, religious or spiritual care, and privacy practices. These policies create a clear framework that supports staff in translating cultural awareness into daily action.

Collaborating with CALD communities

Genuine collaboration with culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities further strengthens a strong policy foundation. Oxa Care partners with local cultural centres, schools, and community leaders to receive guidance, validate care approaches, and co-design activities that reflect community traditions. 

Government standards and guidelines on cultural diversity in aged care

Aged care providers must align with national expectations that cultural diversity is central, not secondary, to delivering safe, quality care for CALD residents.

Australian aged care diversity framework

This national framework outlines collaborative actions for government, providers, and consumers to ensure services are respectful, accessible, and responsive to diverse older Australians, embedding human rights and person‑centred care at its core.

Relevant findings from the aged care royal commission

The Royal Commission’s final report reinforced that cultural competence and safety must be systemically embedded rather than optional, clearly calling for meaningful cultural respect across all quality standards. 

Making cultural respect part of everyday care

Key takeaways for providers and families

• Culturally competent care builds trust and improves outcomes.
• Cultural safety ensures residents feel respected and secure.
• Respecting and accommodating cultural diversity in aged care is a legal, ethical, and community expectation.

Get supportive and diverse aged care services at Oxa Care

At Oxa Care, we celebrate cultural differences. By weaving cultural competence and safety into every aspect of care and adhering to inclusive service standards, we create a home where residents feel valued, families feel reassured, and communities feel included. Visit Oxa Care today and experience our diverse residential aged care services for yourself.