How to co-create a multicultural dementia education initiative

![CDATA[Background: Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) people affected by dementia have poorer health outcomes and experience greater social exclusion than their non-CALD counterparts. These disparities are worsened by: linguistic barriers; inaccessible and culturally inappropriate education about dementia and relevant support services; and stigma. This is especially prominent in the multicultural South Western Sydney region, where over 12,500 residents are already living with dementia, and dementia prevalence is forecast to increase at the highest rate in NSW by 2050: up to 460 % in some local government areas. Culturally sensitive education about dementia is needed, but no such programs exist here. Objective: We aimed to co-create a dementia education initiative that was accessible, culturally sensitive, and tailored to meet the needs of English, Arabic, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Greek-speaking communities. Methods: We established a Dementia Alliance comprising representatives from the local dementia support group, council, university, and multicultural service providers. Through a series of co-creation workshops with English, Arabic, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Greek-speaking alliance members, we mapped out the education program’s content, structure, format, and evaluation methods to suit all cultural groups. This research discusses the barriers and enablers of disseminating useable and accessible dementia information. Findings: The Dementia Alliance adapted the global Dementia Friends initiative for multicultural delivery. The co-creation workshops revealed the following barriers to uptake of information: the stigmatised translations of ‘dementia’; lengthy duration (>2 hrs); online delivery; and long, high-literacy evaluation surveys. The key enablers were: advertising the education program as a ‘memory information session’; using trained bilingual educators along with an academic co-facilitator; acknowledging stigma; durations <2 hrs; in-person, oral delivery; and using plain language paper-based evaluation surveys with <30 items. Conclusion: Co-creating a multicultural dementia education program with information that is useable and accessible by CALD communities and service providers is feasible through partnerships. This work offers practical insights into knowledge mobilisation in multicultural settings and can be applied to other areas of health where disparities exist.]]