Working towards a culturally inclusive dementia friendly intervention with the City of Canterbury Bankstown

Abstract

Socially inclusive and supportive communities are vital for promoting wellbeing for people with dementia, particularly within ageing and diverse regions like Canterbury-Bankstown in the state of New South Wales, Australia. People from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds experience dementia differently and have poorer health outcomes compared to the general population. To reduce stigma and improve health outcomes for people with dementia, community-based interventions are needed, such as dementia-friendly communities (DFCs). However, the research on setting up inclusive DFCs for CALD populations has been scarce in Australia. This thesis aimed to lay the foundations towards an inclusive DFC within the city of Canterbury-Bankstown. This was done by identifying the barriers and facilitators of cultural inclusivity in publicised DFCs through an integrative review (Chapter 2), a survey that explored dementia attitudes and beliefs among the three biggest populations in Canterbury Bankstown: the English, Arabic and Vietnamese communities (Chapter 3), and interviews with people with dementia from those three cultural groups (Chapter 4). The context for these three studies is outlined in a general introduction (Chapter 1) and their collective findings are integrated in a general discussion (Chapter 5). The first study (Chapter 2) reviewed academic and grey literature on the barriers and facilitators for cultural inclusivity in DFCs. Using the matrix method, relevant data were extracted, analysed for common themes, and findings were integrated in a narrative format. The second study (Chapter 3) explored dementia stigma and misconceptions held by the community of Canterbury-Bankstown, emphasising the need for culturally sensitive dementia education initiatives. The third study (Chapter 4) explored the barriers and facilitators to community activities for people with dementia and their care partners living in Canterbury-Bankstown and their suggestions for a dementia friendly community. Overall, the studies showed a need for intervention strategies to be tailored to multicultural communities by offering more in-language services and accessible information, inclusive social groups that incorporate cultural awareness, and caregiver supports. These findings informed the development of DFC initiatives and action plans in Canterbury-Bankstown.

Date of Award	2023
Original language	English