Benetas secures CALD grant and status to continue support for diverse home care client community

Benetas has been awarded close to $1 million in the Federal Government’s Support at Home Thin Markets Grants program to help continue providing culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) support to home care clients.

The grant, combined with the Government’s Culturally, Ethnically and Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds Specialisation Verification, recognises Benetas’ capability to deliver tailored services to diverse communities. The verification is highlighted on the My Aged Care website for three years.

The grant will be used to continue supporting Benetas’ 1,400-plus home care clients, many of whom come from a range of cultural, religious and linguistic backgrounds or are part of the LGBTIQA+ community.

Benetas offers home care services right across Victoria, including metropolitan Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula, Gippsland and the state’s central, west and north-west.

Home care services are funded through the Federal Government’s new Support at Home program and include clinical support, independence help and everyday living services, such as personal care and domestic assistance.

Benetas is focussed on ensuring clients receive the support they need and deserve as part of a holistic process.

During initial care planning, Benetas ensures every client communicates aspects of their identity, including cultural and linguistic needs. Feedback forms have also been translated into a range of languages.

Benetas initiatives to support CALD communities include engaging Greek and Italian-speaking allied health providers, offering podiatry, occupational therapy and physiotherapy services.

Benetas has also partnered with specific cultural organisations to help clients build community and social ties with groups dedicated to people with Italian, Greek, Maltese, Lebanese and Croatian backgrounds.

Benetas carers and case managers also come from a range of backgrounds, including Croatian, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Burmese, Norwegian, Mandarin, Macedonian, Swahili, Bosnian, Turkish, Ukrainian, Hungarian, Polish, Arabic and Vietnamese.

Benetas CEO Sandra Hills OAM said these efforts not only help clients engage with and encourage participation, but they also help carers provide the best possible care.

“Victoria boasts a proud multicultural community so it’s incumbent on healthcare providers to accommodate this diversity as best we can,” Ms Hills said.

“It’s an honour to be recognised as a CALD provider because it’s a part of our service that we’ve worked hard on to implement for the benefit of our clients.

“We understand how important it is for clients from different cultural backgrounds, practising different religions or speaking different languages to feel like their care is being catered to them on an individual basis.”

Benetas is committed to supporting diversity and inclusion for both the people it cares for and the employees that deliver its services.