Talking about aged care in multicultural families can be hard

Discussing aged care is taboo among many multicultural families where there are strong cultural obligations to look after parents.

Published: 14 December 2025
  • national
  • 14 December 2025
  • ABC News

This often means that conversations about aged care options are delayed until there is no other choice.

According to a 2023 Australian Institute for Health and Wellbeing (AIHW) report, one in three people supported by aged care services in Australia were born overseas.

The report, How do overseas-born Australians use aged care services?, found that elderly people from Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East were most likely to live with family.

The AIHW report also found that seniors from East Asia sought aged care services at a later age and required more language support.