WEBVTT - Working well with culturally diverse clients – the perspective of a bilingual home care worker 0:00:00.080 --> 0:00:03.140 We acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands on which 0:00:03.140 --> 0:00:06.410 this podcast has been produced, and we pay our respects 0:00:06.410 --> 0:00:10.369 to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and to elders, 0:00:10.369 --> 0:00:18.890 past and present. Welcome to Snack the Aged Care podcast, 0:00:18.890 --> 0:00:21.770 where we break down some of the big questions around 0:00:21.770 --> 0:00:25.700 what it really means to be person centred. This podcast 0:00:25.700 --> 0:00:29.420 is brought to you by the Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland, 0:00:29.420 --> 0:00:35.089 also known as IC. The peak body for multicultural communities 0:00:35.090 --> 0:00:44.820 in Queensland. In today's episode, we'll be hearing about the 0:00:44.820 --> 0:00:49.020 rewarding aspects of working as a carer for culturally diverse people. 0:00:49.229 --> 0:00:54.390 Amanda Bowden from IC Partners in Culturally Appropriate Care program 0:00:54.390 --> 0:00:58.560 speaks to David when care Worker with Diversity Care, which 0:00:58.560 --> 0:01:03.940 is the home care division of IC. David came to 0:01:03.940 --> 0:01:07.209 Australia from Vietnam and for the past ten years has 0:01:07.209 --> 0:01:10.870 been enjoying a fulfilling career in home care work. 0:01:16.920 --> 0:01:22.620 On Saturday Market, I met a young Vietnamese lady, Lin. 0:01:23.010 --> 0:01:26.430 She's a home care worker and oversee care for almost 0:01:26.430 --> 0:01:32.190 five years. And she suggests me to think about becoming 0:01:32.190 --> 0:01:38.690 a home care worker. I look up and file the 0:01:38.690 --> 0:01:45.920 Interesting Diversity volunteer program and I become a member. On 0:01:45.920 --> 0:01:51.110 May 2013. Yeah. Uh, during the visit, uh, as a 0:01:51.110 --> 0:01:56.570 volunteer worker, I found happiness. The resident in, uh, nursing 0:01:56.570 --> 0:02:01.520 home is so nice. Very lovely. And the kind nurse 0:02:01.520 --> 0:02:04.970 I met. The kindness and the ein, which is the 0:02:05.210 --> 0:02:11.000 assistant nursing carer, and certainly so. Surprise, it's. My sister 0:02:11.000 --> 0:02:16.370 was a cook over there. They, uh, suggest me to 0:02:16.370 --> 0:02:21.079 take the course and, uh, get into the home care 0:02:21.080 --> 0:02:28.780 worker and I. Got a job in Nebraska on November 2013. 0:02:30.639 --> 0:02:34.149 We then asked David what is important on the first 0:02:34.150 --> 0:02:35.800 visit to a client. 0:02:36.830 --> 0:02:41.810 This is so important for a first visit. I normally 0:02:41.810 --> 0:02:45.950 try to find out the background of the person I'm 0:02:45.950 --> 0:02:49.700 going to visit, because I can build trust and show 0:02:49.700 --> 0:02:53.690 respect with them, the people they have I met through 0:02:53.690 --> 0:02:59.120 the last ten years. I have all different, uh, culture background, uh, 0:02:59.120 --> 0:03:09.290 from Vietnam, Australia, England, Spain, Poland, India, like Asian, uh, 0:03:09.650 --> 0:03:15.620 culture background from India and Vietnam, Chinese. We have something 0:03:15.620 --> 0:03:23.000 like clothes, like wearing. Appropriate attire can show respectful to 0:03:23.000 --> 0:03:27.730 take the shoe off. Before enter the house. But over 0:03:27.730 --> 0:03:30.400 here I need to wear a suit. So I bring 0:03:30.400 --> 0:03:35.920 another suit. Inside suit. Okay. With the people in Vietnam, 0:03:36.310 --> 0:03:43.630 they like to pass thing or receive things by two hands. Uh, they, uh, 0:03:43.630 --> 0:03:47.200 like to live close together. And the children love to 0:03:47.200 --> 0:03:52.720 support their parents at all age. With, uh, borrowings. Uh, 0:03:52.720 --> 0:03:58.600 sometime before I when I read, I find that borrowings uh, 0:03:58.600 --> 0:04:05.200 only uh happened now in Japan or uh, Korea, but 0:04:05.470 --> 0:04:08.080 I just before I come here, I have a visit 0:04:08.080 --> 0:04:11.380 a uh, uh, people from India and they said that 0:04:11.380 --> 0:04:15.279 about borrowings to all the people is not appropriate now 0:04:15.280 --> 0:04:19.990 in India. Yeah. So therefore, to visit you, you better 0:04:19.990 --> 0:04:23.750 talk to the person you are going to visit. Then 0:04:23.750 --> 0:04:27.770 you get the best result, the best culture you need 0:04:27.770 --> 0:04:28.159 to know. 0:04:28.760 --> 0:04:32.090 And you'd ask the person themselves and also their family 0:04:32.089 --> 0:04:34.909 members how they like to be cared for, how they 0:04:34.910 --> 0:04:37.010 like to be shown respect. 0:04:37.279 --> 0:04:38.420 Exactly, yes. 0:04:39.050 --> 0:04:43.010 When a care worker first starts work, they are assigned 0:04:43.010 --> 0:04:46.730 a buddy by their care coordinator. The buddy is an 0:04:46.730 --> 0:04:50.510 experienced care worker who shows the new person what the 0:04:50.510 --> 0:04:54.380 work is about. Usually the buddy goes with the new 0:04:54.410 --> 0:04:58.130 care worker to the client's house during the first visit. 0:04:58.490 --> 0:04:59.270 Yes. 0:04:59.270 --> 0:05:03.920 Uh, it's an interesting thing that, uh, when the newcomer 0:05:04.370 --> 0:05:09.350 they first came to the work, they might worry so 0:05:09.350 --> 0:05:14.080 much what they are going to do. And British ship 0:05:14.350 --> 0:05:22.150 program is the person can follow an experienced worker. And, uh, 0:05:22.150 --> 0:05:28.210 they can help him whatever, uh, in detail and might 0:05:28.210 --> 0:05:32.080 be helping one week or two weeks. And after that, 0:05:32.589 --> 0:05:38.410 they will be so, uh, confident in their job and, uh, 0:05:39.070 --> 0:05:42.909 will feel the job is become easier for them. 0:05:42.910 --> 0:05:47.229 So the new home care worker follows you around as 0:05:47.230 --> 0:05:50.860 the experienced home care worker, and you show them what 0:05:50.860 --> 0:05:52.960 to do and how to do it. Is that correct? 0:05:52.960 --> 0:06:00.989 Correct, yes. Uh, the experienced, uh, worker. We saw every detail, 0:06:01.560 --> 0:06:07.830 every trick, any tips which is can help the newcomer. 0:06:08.740 --> 0:06:12.669 To work properly so they can get a job and 0:06:12.670 --> 0:06:14.440 they will confident in their work. 0:06:14.470 --> 0:06:17.950 David, I understand that you began your career in aged 0:06:17.950 --> 0:06:20.650 care as a volunteer. Could you tell us a bit 0:06:20.650 --> 0:06:21.700 about that, please? 0:06:21.730 --> 0:06:27.490 Yes. I suggest, um, before you get into, uh. Uh, 0:06:27.490 --> 0:06:33.320 aged care workforce, you need to drive us. To in 0:06:34.100 --> 0:06:39.470 to join the team. Core volunteer work in a nursing home. 0:06:39.560 --> 0:06:43.610 You at that time you will to visit the older people. 0:06:43.850 --> 0:06:49.220 You will find your happiness and you will find the 0:06:49.220 --> 0:06:55.400 worker over there, the nurses, the worker. They help you 0:06:55.400 --> 0:06:57.620 and they show you the way. Then you feel more 0:06:57.620 --> 0:07:01.849 confident and to think about for a longer term by 0:07:01.850 --> 0:07:07.220 taking the course like me and, uh, get into the 0:07:07.220 --> 0:07:09.680 home care worker over ten years. 0:07:11.300 --> 0:07:15.920 So you'd recommend doing some volunteering in aged care first, 0:07:15.920 --> 0:07:17.540 just to see if you like it, to see if 0:07:17.540 --> 0:07:20.090 you're well suited to it, and if it's something that 0:07:20.090 --> 0:07:22.160 you would like as a career path. 0:07:22.670 --> 0:07:29.240 That's 100% correct. Yes. And, uh, volunteer will, uh, will 0:07:29.450 --> 0:07:34.940 tell you that you are able to meet the older people, uh, 0:07:34.940 --> 0:07:40.970 you feel, uh, that you can, uh, start a course and, uh, 0:07:40.970 --> 0:07:44.090 get into the caring industry. 0:07:44.090 --> 0:07:48.170 So what would you recommend for people starting their careers 0:07:48.170 --> 0:07:49.790 as a home care worker? 0:07:49.790 --> 0:07:54.380 With the home care worker? Uh, you might require to do, uh, 0:07:54.860 --> 0:08:02.490 different job. Uh, such as, uh. Domestic assistance, social support, 0:08:02.490 --> 0:08:06.090 personal care. But you can go detail with that, uh, 0:08:06.330 --> 0:08:10.440 when you get into the workforce. But over here, um, 0:08:10.440 --> 0:08:14.250 I only suggest that, uh, first of all, you need 0:08:14.250 --> 0:08:17.850 to like the job you are. You know what you 0:08:17.850 --> 0:08:23.130 are doing, uh, being on time, respecting the people you 0:08:23.130 --> 0:08:29.370 are working, uh, cooperate with the family member and your 0:08:29.370 --> 0:08:34.770 colleagues at work and asked if you don't know, uh, 0:08:35.010 --> 0:08:40.740 the family member or we call the primary carer should 0:08:40.740 --> 0:08:45.390 know the person much better than we do. Uh, talking 0:08:45.390 --> 0:08:51.359 about habit, keeping habit to learn a better way to 0:08:51.360 --> 0:08:57.540 perform your tasks. Checking your progress. And up the see 0:08:58.590 --> 0:09:03.360 through coordinator or your colleagues. 0:09:08.960 --> 0:09:13.730 David, when you first meet a new client or consumer, 0:09:13.730 --> 0:09:18.320 what are some ways that you get to know them 0:09:18.320 --> 0:09:21.110 and know what they like, what they don't like? How 0:09:21.110 --> 0:09:22.970 do you get to know them? 0:09:23.030 --> 0:09:27.440 Okay. It's a first visit is one way. Things I 0:09:27.440 --> 0:09:32.600 need to know I need to know the person, condition, health, condition, 0:09:32.600 --> 0:09:38.510 history of, for, and the specific things I need to know, 0:09:38.510 --> 0:09:43.610 especially the culture. Because, uh, some people have a different 0:09:43.610 --> 0:09:50.480 culture when I know that I will avoid any thing 0:09:50.480 --> 0:09:54.950 that I can against their culture. For example, when I 0:09:54.950 --> 0:09:58.100 walk into the people house, I bring my own suit. 0:09:59.030 --> 0:10:03.050 I think they happy with that. And, uh, it happened 0:10:03.050 --> 0:10:08.179 to many places where I go. Uh, another thing, uh, 0:10:08.179 --> 0:10:13.280 when I build trust with them. After a period of work, 0:10:13.280 --> 0:10:14.210 then I can. 0:10:15.170 --> 0:10:16.280 See, I. 0:10:16.280 --> 0:10:20.569 Can ask them about their, uh, culture. Uh, what I 0:10:20.570 --> 0:10:25.400 should learn. I'm interesting on learning people, uh, consumer culture. 0:10:25.490 --> 0:10:29.270 And they were happy to tell me. I when I 0:10:29.270 --> 0:10:33.490 work over there, I can smell their cooking. Uh, I 0:10:33.490 --> 0:10:41.710 can see some spiritual statements and or photo or picture, 0:10:42.370 --> 0:10:50.110 even something different on their house. I don't touch and 0:10:50.110 --> 0:10:52.840 I respect all of those things, and I leave it there. 0:10:53.140 --> 0:10:57.940 It saw that, uh. They hit me the way I do. 0:10:57.970 --> 0:11:01.900 I keep learning, I keep asking, and I will get 0:11:01.900 --> 0:11:06.400 the better. About culture for my work, right? 0:11:06.400 --> 0:11:10.179 I guess there's no end to to learning about your 0:11:10.179 --> 0:11:14.410 client or consumer. There's always something more to learn about them, 0:11:14.410 --> 0:11:17.260 and the more you learn about them, the better the 0:11:17.260 --> 0:11:19.179 quality of your care is for them. 0:11:19.480 --> 0:11:24.189 Certainly, yes. And I through that, I can, uh, build 0:11:24.190 --> 0:11:30.550 more relationship with trust and, uh, my work before become 0:11:30.550 --> 0:11:32.559 more comfortable. Um. 0:11:33.250 --> 0:11:36.040 And would you say your relationship with the client or 0:11:36.040 --> 0:11:40.599 consumer is more important or just as important as getting 0:11:40.600 --> 0:11:42.490 the task done for them? 0:11:42.490 --> 0:11:47.020 I think that's more important to know people, to get 0:11:47.020 --> 0:11:52.179 the trust build, uh, to the the consumer I work to, 0:11:52.179 --> 0:11:53.800 that's more important than the task. 0:11:54.980 --> 0:11:58.340 Do you think that there are any advantages of being 0:11:58.340 --> 0:12:02.540 born in a country outside of Australia, or from your 0:12:02.540 --> 0:12:06.950 hardship of your experience as a former refugee that might 0:12:06.950 --> 0:12:11.480 give you a special perspective or empathy for the older 0:12:11.480 --> 0:12:13.010 people that you care for? 0:12:13.040 --> 0:12:14.480 Yes they are. 0:12:15.020 --> 0:12:18.500 As a Vietnamese, I have the habit to work hard 0:12:18.500 --> 0:12:22.939 to earn a living because I know I learned that 0:12:22.940 --> 0:12:28.340 the Vietnamese government at that time could not provide enough 0:12:28.460 --> 0:12:33.860 support for the underemployment worker and retiree. Uh, they may 0:12:33.860 --> 0:12:38.329 need the charity for the poor and own children. Support 0:12:38.330 --> 0:12:45.230 their parents. HHI I started, uh, helping my parents on weekends. 0:12:45.230 --> 0:12:50.569 I wrote a bike, my bike from school to, um, 0:12:50.570 --> 0:12:55.070 about 16 K to help my parents, whatever they need. 0:12:55.070 --> 0:12:59.059 And in that way, I feel real happiness. Yeah. Uh, 0:12:59.059 --> 0:13:02.809 living in Australia, I try to keep the same habit 0:13:02.809 --> 0:13:07.309 because I think that already in my bloodstream and supporting 0:13:07.309 --> 0:13:12.920 older people is one way my, uh, ordinary work. 0:13:19.030 --> 0:13:24.070 David's Vietnamese cultural background influences the way he cares for people. 0:13:24.250 --> 0:13:28.179 He introduces the concept of karma, which is a belief 0:13:28.179 --> 0:13:32.260 about cost and effect. It is about how one's good 0:13:32.260 --> 0:13:37.990 deeds in this life influences the outcomes in this generation 0:13:37.990 --> 0:13:39.730 or the next. 0:13:44.809 --> 0:13:50.189 Yeah, I believe in karma because, uh. Karma. Is that 0:13:50.190 --> 0:13:58.080 something happened. The very beginning in the universe. Before anyone. 0:13:58.900 --> 0:14:03.280 With the karma. If you believe in karma, then you 0:14:03.280 --> 0:14:07.059 will see the result of what you have done in 0:14:07.059 --> 0:14:10.990 the past. When you think of karma, when you do it, 0:14:10.990 --> 0:14:15.730 you don't think it happened in your life. It might 0:14:15.730 --> 0:14:22.440 be happen in the next life. If people believe in karma. 0:14:22.650 --> 0:14:27.420 I think the war will end. They will love each 0:14:27.420 --> 0:14:31.070 other more. Uh, we'll make a. 0:14:31.460 --> 0:14:33.350 Good deed. 0:14:33.350 --> 0:14:37.670 For Arthur so they can receive good karma. I believe 0:14:37.670 --> 0:14:43.869 in karma. So whatever I do now. I will receive 0:14:43.870 --> 0:14:47.110 it in the future. Don't have to be in this life, 0:14:47.110 --> 0:14:48.760 but maybe my next life. 0:14:52.080 --> 0:14:56.070 And finally, David, if there was one piece of advice 0:14:56.070 --> 0:14:58.980 that you could offer to a new home care worker, 0:14:58.980 --> 0:15:00.450 what would it be? 0:15:00.510 --> 0:15:05.970 Have a positive thinking to the matter in any situation. 0:15:06.770 --> 0:15:11.930 Believe in teamwork, effort. Because by yourself you can never 0:15:11.930 --> 0:15:18.920 done successful anything. Good karma will guide you a correct choice. 0:15:19.520 --> 0:15:20.720 Thank you David. 0:15:20.720 --> 0:15:21.530 Thank you. 0:15:26.420 --> 0:15:29.540 Join us for the next episode of Snac to hear 0:15:29.540 --> 0:15:37.970 more about caring for culturally and linguistically diverse people. Funding 0:15:37.970 --> 0:15:40.970 for this podcast has been provided by the Council on 0:15:40.970 --> 0:15:45.830 the Ageing Queensland. Home Care Workforce Support Consortium as part 0:15:45.830 --> 0:15:49.520 of the Home Care Workforce Support Program, which was funded 0:15:49.520 --> 0:15:52.370 through grant funding from the Australian Government.