S3E2: Working well with culturally diverse clients – the perspective of a bilingual home care worker

Many people who work in aged care in Australia come from a migrant or refugee background and their cultural background and experiences influence the way that they care for other people. This is true for David Vien who became a home care worker for Diversicare (ECCQ’s home care division) after arriving in Australia as a refugee from Vietnam.

In this episode, Amanda Bowden from ECCQ’s Partners in Culturally Appropriate Care Program hears from David as he shares some of his journey to becoming a home care worker, and offers some advice for home care workers to consider when they are working with culturally diverse clients.

Thank you to the guests and organisations that contributed to this episode.

Wanting to find out more? Check out these links:

• Diversicare
• Volunteering in aged care
• Volunteering Queensland
• Frequently asked questions for potential volunteers in aged care

If you would like further information about Partners in Culturally Appropriate Care Queensland, please visit:

• https://eccq.com.au/aged-care/partners-in-culturally-appropriate-care/

This season of SNACK has been produced by the Ethnic Communities’ Council of Queensland as part of the COTA Queensland Home Care Workforce Support Program which received grant funding from the Australian Government.

Produced by Martin Franklin at East Coast Studio

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

S1 (00:00):
We acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands on which
this podcast has been produced, and we pay our respects
to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and to elders,
past and present. Welcome to Snack the Aged Care podcast,
where we break down some of the big questions around

(00:21):
what it really means to be person centred. This podcast
is brought to you by the Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland,
also known as IC. The peak body for multicultural communities
in Queensland. In today's episode, we'll be hearing about the

(00:44):
rewarding aspects of working as a carer for culturally diverse people.
Amanda Bowden from IC Partners in Culturally Appropriate Care program
speaks to David when care Worker with Diversity Care, which
is the home care division of IC. David came to
Australia from Vietnam and for the past ten years has

(01:07):
been enjoying a fulfilling career in home care work.

S2 (01:16):
On Saturday Market, I met a young Vietnamese lady, Lin.
She's a home care worker and oversee care for almost
five years. And she suggests me to think about becoming
a home care worker. I look up and file the

(01:38):
Interesting Diversity volunteer program and I become a member. On
May 2013. Yeah. Uh, during the visit, uh, as a
volunteer worker, I found happiness. The resident in, uh, nursing
home is so nice. Very lovely. And the kind nurse

(02:01):
I met. The kindness and the ein, which is the
assistant nursing carer, and certainly so. Surprise, it's. My sister
was a cook over there. They, uh, suggest me to
take the course and, uh, get into the home care
worker and I. Got a job in Nebraska on November 2013.

S1 (02:30):
We then asked David what is important on the first
visit to a client.

S2 (02:36):
This is so important for a first visit. I normally
try to find out the background of the person I'm
going to visit, because I can build trust and show
respect with them, the people they have I met through
the last ten years. I have all different, uh, culture background, uh,

(02:59):
from Vietnam, Australia, England, Spain, Poland, India, like Asian, uh,
culture background from India and Vietnam, Chinese. We have something
like clothes, like wearing. Appropriate attire can show respectful to

(03:23):
take the shoe off. Before enter the house. But over
here I need to wear a suit. So I bring
another suit. Inside suit. Okay. With the people in Vietnam,
they like to pass thing or receive things by two hands. Uh, they, uh,

(03:43):
like to live close together. And the children love to
support their parents at all age. With, uh, borrowings. Uh,
sometime before I when I read, I find that borrowings uh,
only uh happened now in Japan or uh, Korea, but

(04:05):
I just before I come here, I have a visit
a uh, uh, people from India and they said that
about borrowings to all the people is not appropriate now
in India. Yeah. So therefore, to visit you, you better
talk to the person you are going to visit. Then
you get the best result, the best culture you need

(04:27):
to know.

S3 (04:28):
And you'd ask the person themselves and also their family
members how they like to be cared for, how they
like to be shown respect.

S2 (04:37):
Exactly, yes.

S1 (04:39):
When a care worker first starts work, they are assigned
a buddy by their care coordinator. The buddy is an
experienced care worker who shows the new person what the
work is about. Usually the buddy goes with the new
care worker to the client's house during the first visit.

S4 (04:58):
Yes.

S2 (04:59):
Uh, it's an interesting thing that, uh, when the newcomer
they first came to the work, they might worry so
much what they are going to do. And British ship
program is the person can follow an experienced worker. And, uh,

(05:22):
they can help him whatever, uh, in detail and might
be helping one week or two weeks. And after that,
they will be so, uh, confident in their job and, uh,
will feel the job is become easier for them.

S3 (05:42):
So the new home care worker follows you around as
the experienced home care worker, and you show them what
to do and how to do it. Is that correct?

S2 (05:52):
Correct, yes. Uh, the experienced, uh, worker. We saw every detail,
every trick, any tips which is can help the newcomer.
To work properly so they can get a job and
they will confident in their work.

S3 (06:14):
David, I understand that you began your career in aged
care as a volunteer. Could you tell us a bit
about that, please?

S2 (06:21):
Yes. I suggest, um, before you get into, uh. Uh,
aged care workforce, you need to drive us. To in
to join the team. Core volunteer work in a nursing home.
You at that time you will to visit the older people.

(06:43):
You will find your happiness and you will find the
worker over there, the nurses, the worker. They help you
and they show you the way. Then you feel more
confident and to think about for a longer term by
taking the course like me and, uh, get into the

(07:07):
home care worker over ten years.

S3 (07:11):
So you'd recommend doing some volunteering in aged care first,
just to see if you like it, to see if
you're well suited to it, and if it's something that
you would like as a career path.

S2 (07:22):
That's 100% correct. Yes. And, uh, volunteer will, uh, will
tell you that you are able to meet the older people, uh,
you feel, uh, that you can, uh, start a course and, uh,
get into the caring industry.

S3 (07:44):
So what would you recommend for people starting their careers
as a home care worker?

S2 (07:49):
With the home care worker? Uh, you might require to do, uh,
different job. Uh, such as, uh. Domestic assistance, social support,
personal care. But you can go detail with that, uh,
when you get into the workforce. But over here, um,

(08:10):
I only suggest that, uh, first of all, you need
to like the job you are. You know what you
are doing, uh, being on time, respecting the people you
are working, uh, cooperate with the family member and your
colleagues at work and asked if you don't know, uh,

(08:35):
the family member or we call the primary carer should
know the person much better than we do. Uh, talking
about habit, keeping habit to learn a better way to
perform your tasks. Checking your progress. And up the see

(08:58):
through coordinator or your colleagues.

S3 (09:08):
David, when you first meet a new client or consumer,
what are some ways that you get to know them
and know what they like, what they don't like? How
do you get to know them?

S2 (09:23):
Okay. It's a first visit is one way. Things I
need to know I need to know the person, condition, health, condition,
history of, for, and the specific things I need to know,
especially the culture. Because, uh, some people have a different

(09:43):
culture when I know that I will avoid any thing
that I can against their culture. For example, when I
walk into the people house, I bring my own suit.
I think they happy with that. And, uh, it happened
to many places where I go. Uh, another thing, uh,

(10:08):
when I build trust with them. After a period of work,
then I can.

S5 (10:15):
See, I.

S2 (10:16):
Can ask them about their, uh, culture. Uh, what I
should learn. I'm interesting on learning people, uh, consumer culture.
And they were happy to tell me. I when I
work over there, I can smell their cooking. Uh, I
can see some spiritual statements and or photo or picture,

(10:42):
even something different on their house. I don't touch and
I respect all of those things, and I leave it there.
It saw that, uh. They hit me the way I do.
I keep learning, I keep asking, and I will get
the better. About culture for my work, right?

S3 (11:06):
I guess there's no end to to learning about your
client or consumer. There's always something more to learn about them,
and the more you learn about them, the better the
quality of your care is for them.

S2 (11:19):
Certainly, yes. And I through that, I can, uh, build
more relationship with trust and, uh, my work before become
more comfortable. Um.

S3 (11:33):
And would you say your relationship with the client or
consumer is more important or just as important as getting
the task done for them?

S2 (11:42):
I think that's more important to know people, to get
the trust build, uh, to the the consumer I work to,
that's more important than the task.

S3 (11:54):
Do you think that there are any advantages of being
born in a country outside of Australia, or from your
hardship of your experience as a former refugee that might
give you a special perspective or empathy for the older
people that you care for?

S5 (12:13):
Yes they are.

S2 (12:15):
As a Vietnamese, I have the habit to work hard
to earn a living because I know I learned that
the Vietnamese government at that time could not provide enough
support for the underemployment worker and retiree. Uh, they may
need the charity for the poor and own children. Support

(12:38):
their parents. HHI I started, uh, helping my parents on weekends.
I wrote a bike, my bike from school to, um,
about 16 K to help my parents, whatever they need.
And in that way, I feel real happiness. Yeah. Uh,

(12:59):
living in Australia, I try to keep the same habit
because I think that already in my bloodstream and supporting
older people is one way my, uh, ordinary work.

S1 (13:19):
David's Vietnamese cultural background influences the way he cares for people.
He introduces the concept of karma, which is a belief
about cost and effect. It is about how one's good
deeds in this life influences the outcomes in this generation
or the next.

S2 (13:44):
Yeah, I believe in karma because, uh. Karma. Is that
something happened. The very beginning in the universe. Before anyone.
With the karma. If you believe in karma, then you
will see the result of what you have done in

(14:07):
the past. When you think of karma, when you do it,
you don't think it happened in your life. It might
be happen in the next life. If people believe in karma.
I think the war will end. They will love each

(14:27):
other more. Uh, we'll make a.

S5 (14:31):
Good deed.

S2 (14:33):
For Arthur so they can receive good karma. I believe
in karma. So whatever I do now. I will receive
it in the future. Don't have to be in this life,
but maybe my next life.

S3 (14:52):
And finally, David, if there was one piece of advice
that you could offer to a new home care worker,
what would it be?

S2 (15:00):
Have a positive thinking to the matter in any situation.
Believe in teamwork, effort. Because by yourself you can never
done successful anything. Good karma will guide you a correct choice.

S3 (15:19):
Thank you David.

S2 (15:20):
Thank you.

S1 (15:26):
Join us for the next episode of Snac to hear
more about caring for culturally and linguistically diverse people. Funding
for this podcast has been provided by the Council on
the Ageing Queensland. Home Care Workforce Support Consortium as part
of the Home Care Workforce Support Program, which was funded

(15:49):
through grant funding from the Australian Government.