By Professor Bianca Brijnath – Director, Social Gerontology – National Ageing Research Institute
To attract and retain our vital aged care workforce, we must take steps to address the racism migrant workers face on the job.
The Australian aged care sector is facing a growing need for more staff due to the ageing population and government reforms following the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.
However, the sector is also witnessing an alarming increase in racism. While racism exists in various industries, its prevalence in aged care has not been adequately documented. It is crucial to gather better evidence and implement evidence-based interventions to address this issue effectively, ensuring the wellbeing and safety of aged care staff.
Currently, around 40 percent of the aged care workforce in Australia comes from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, primarily from countries like India, the Philippines, Iraq, and Sudan.
Many work as personal care assistants and nurses, and a significant portion of them are women. They often hold low-paid and casualised positions, work overtime, and have limited control over their shift preferences, resulting in a higher number of night shifts compared to their Australian-born colleagues.
These migrant workers face daily challenges while caring for older individuals who often have complex and age-related conditions, such as dementia, as well as dealing with their families. Their responsibility is to provide quality care that is centred around the needs of older people and their families. However, this becomes increasingly difficult when they encounter racism and prejudice in their workplace.
The National Ageing Research Institute (NARI) has conducted interviews with several aged care workers who have experienced racism at work.
One incident involved a female Nigerian personal care assistant who faced difficulties when trying to communicate with a resident. Despite her attempts to speak louder, the resident responded with an unpleasant attitude. Another staff member intervened, but the resident made a derogatory comment, saying, “Because of her bloody accent, I could not hear what she was saying.”
This incident is sadly not uncommon, and migrant aged care workers frequently endure abuse based on their skin colour or accent. Some residents and families even refuse assistance from these workers for essential care tasks, such as treatment, feeding, and bedding. Certain communities, such as African aged care workers, are particularly vulnerable to frequent racism.
Unfortunately, such incidents often go unreported, as many migrant workers believe no action will be taken. They endure the abuse until they can no longer bear it and eventually leave their roles and the organisations they work for. This turnover is detrimental to everyone involved: the workers, older people, families, providers, and the sector as a whole.
To address these incidents, it is essential to combat racism in the aged care sector. The National Ageing Research Institute contributes to information sessions for aged care workers and conducts professional development workshops, providing information and management tools to support providers.
However, training is only part of the response. Cultural and systemic change is necessary. This can only be achieved by fostering mutual respect, strong organisational leadership, and recognising and valuing the contributions of migrant aged care workers. These workers often possess a strong capacity for empathy and caring, rooted in their social and cultural respect for older people.
Our studies have shown that migrant workers, especially women, have a desire to remain in aged care due to the value they place in caring for older people. Additionally, flexible shift work allows them to balance their responsibilities to children and families.
By addressing racism and acknowledging the valuable contributions of migrant workers in the sector, we can improve staff retention and create a values-based approach that aligns with person-centred care principles. Ultimately, this issue is both a matter of human rights and economics. Everyone deserves to feel safe and be treated fairly at work.
This article was published in the
Winter 2023 edition of Golden Years.