Understanding the drivers of social isolation with elders from CALD communities
Project Type:
Research
Partners:
RACV Community Foundation
AMES Australia
Australian Unity
Council On The Ageing (COTA)
Australian Multicultural Community Services
Scanlon Foundation
Location:
Victoria, Australia
For vulnerable Australians, social isolation is harmful to both physical and mental health. The RACV community foundation exists to support the wellbeing of all Victorians by investing in initiatives that focus on reducing social isolation and strengthening community bonds. The team at the RACV foundation understood that the desire to make a difference needs to be supported with the right actions to be really impactful. They felt better understanding the factors that lead to social isolation for older Victorians within CALD communities would assist them to be able to have an even bigger impact for these communities.
Approach
We started by holding a series of discovery workshops with service providers, older people and the leaders of different CALD communities that exist in Victoria, both established and emerging. During these workshops we heard the different stories and perspectives of all of the participants, creating a shared view of some of the challenges and causes of social isolation.
The insights were then collated and summarised into a report, that provided the RACV Community Foundation with the top areas they should focus their efforts on with their interventions.
Outcomes
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We provided RACV's Community Foundation with an in depth understanding of how different CALD seniors across the state can be affected by social isolation
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We provided the RACV Community Foundation team with confidence that they could target certain opportunities with their interventions and would be sure that they would deliver maximum impact to the community