Speaking Their Language: Celebrating Cultural Diversity in Aged Care

Providing person-centred care means communicating with people in the language they prefer. For many older Australians from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, this means offering services in languages other than English. Understanding which languages are most needed in aged care settings helps services better support their residents.

Language diversity in Australia and aged care

The language profile of aged care populations differs from the general Australian population in meaningful ways. While Mandarin and Cantonese are both among the top five languages spoken at home in Australia (Table 1), their relative prevalence shifts considerably in aged care settings.

Table 1: Top five most common languages other than English. Data from Australian Bureau of Statistics (2022).

Rank	Language	Persons who used language at home (count)	Proportion of population (%)
1	Mandarin	685274	2.7
2	Arabic	367159	1.4
3	Vietnamese	320758	1.3
4	Cantonese	295281	1.2
5	Punjabi	239033	0.9

In the general population, Mandarin is spoken by 2.7% of Australians compared with 1.2% speaking Cantonese, meaning Cantonese speakers make up about 30.1% of Mandarin-plus-Cantonese speakers overall. In contrast, when we look only at MOA survey responses completed in Mandarin or Cantonese, Cantonese accounts for 42.4% of those responses. In other words, Cantonese speakers are proportionally more represented in aged care survey responses than in the general population (42.4% vs 30.1%, p=0.010). This likely reflects migration history, with many Cantonese speakers having arrived in earlier decades and now entering aged care.

Table 2: Top three languages other than English used to complete MOA surveys.

Rank	Language	Usage
1	Mandarin	35.8%
2	Cantonese	26.4%
3	Italian	15.7%

The importance of language support extends beyond Chinese languages. Among aged care residents born in non-English speaking countries, 43.2% prefer to communicate in a language other than English (Table 3). This substantial proportion underscores the need for multilingual capacity in aged care services.

Table 3: The preferred languages of people in aged care from non-English speaking countries. Data from Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2025).

Preferred Language	Count	Proportion
English	20054	54.2%
Other language	16013	43.2%
Unknown	962	2.6%

Geographic variation in language needs

The need for multilingual aged care services varies considerably across Australian states and territories (Figure 1). These geographic patterns have practical implications for aged care providers. Services in areas with higher linguistic diversity may need to invest more heavily in multilingual staff, interpreter services, and translated materials. Understanding local language profiles helps providers allocate resources effectively and ensure they can communicate meaningfully with all residents.

Figure 1: The proportion of people in Australian residential aged care that prefer to communicate in a language other than English, stratified by state. People with unknown language preference were excluded. Data from Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2025).

Supporting language diversity in practice

Celebrating and supporting language diversity in aged care goes beyond compliance—it’s fundamental to dignity and quality of life. When residents can express themselves in their preferred language, they can more effectively communicate their needs, preferences, and concerns. This is particularly important for residents living with dementia, who may revert to their first language as their condition progresses. Providers can support residents’ language needs is by delivering surveys in the language that residents prefer, using MOA’s language features.

As Australia’s population continues to age and diversify, the language profile of aged care will evolve. Services that embrace linguistic diversity today are better positioned to meet the needs of tomorrow’s residents, ensuring that all older Australians can age with dignity in an environment where they feel truly understood.

References

Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2022. “Cultural Diversity of Australia.” Australian Bureau of Statistics. https://www.abs.gov.au/articles/cultural-diversity-australia.

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. 2025. “GEN Data: People’s Care Needs in Aged Care CURF.” Confidentialised Unit Record File (XLSX); Australian Institute of Health; Welfare. https://www.gen-agedcaredata.gov.au/resources/access-data/2025/june/gen-data-care-needs-of-people-in-aged-care.