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Some of Australia's largest aged care providers have been recognised for their contributions to cultural inclusivity and diversity.
Around 100 industry leaders attended the first Cultural Diversity in Ageing Excellence Awards earlier this month, which celebrates the provision of culturally inclusive aged care services across Australia.
For the excellence in organisational leadership award, Melbourne-based public provider Northern Health took first place for its transcultural and language services department.
The in-house service offers interpreting for over 100 dialects as well as document translations in eight global languages.
Department director Yue Hu commended the win, and said the interpreting service gives a voice to everyone "regardless of what language they speak".
"I was excited to see language service being valued in caring for older culturally and linguistically
diverse Australians," she said.
"It is all about respect and dignity when we listen to what older people have to say and make decisions about their own care."
Multicultural Aged Care Services, a residential facility based in Geelong, took home first place for excellence in service delivery for its responsiveness to residents' cultural preferences and worship choices.
The non-profit was established in 1994 and runs programs and activities for residents based on their cultural needs, such as off-site community visits and language-specific worship services.
MACS chief Joy Leggo said the awards ceremony was a "happy evening with like-minded people who care passionately".
"This award is a testament to our hard-working staff and volunteers who have not lost focus about providing the best cultural and linguistic care for our multicultural community," she said.
Professor Bianca Brijnath, director of social gerontology at the National Ageing Research Institute (NARI), won the individual excellence category for promoting dementia awareness in culturally and linguistically diverse communities (CALD).
Brijnath has played a significant role in developing research projects aimed at raising dementia awareness through film and media.
Most recently, Brijnath and NARI launched a series of animations as part of the Moving Pictures project, which educates people about dementia in 10 different languages.
"I am honoured to receive this recognition of my work for and from the CALD aged care sector," she said.
"My work is possible only because of the strong partnerships and support from agencies such as the
Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing."
Nearly 30 per cent of Australians aged over 65 are born overseas and are from mainly non-English speaking countries.
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