Cultural safety for First Nations people in aged care

The ability to deliver culturally safe care to First Nations people within aged care services is an area that has not seen much attention until the recent report from the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety conducted in 2019. First Nations people over the age of 65 years represent 4% of the Australian population compared to 16% of non- Indigenous people. According to the latest population data, 49% of First Nations people over the age of 75 are living in aged care services (Australian Institute Health and Welfare, 2019a, 2019b). With such a staggering proportion of First Nations people living within aged care facilties, and with the acknowledgment from the Royal Commission that aged care services need to address gaps in culturally safe care, aged care providers are now needing to address this gap to meet accreditation standards and the recommendations from the Royal Commission. The challenge for aged care service providers is how to achieve this effectively and what resources and services are available to support them in meeting this expectation.