Ethnic Melville Active Seniors Club (EMAS)
City of Melville, Western Australia
Background
The delivery of ethno-specific services for seniors by the City of Melville began with the development of the Chinese (Asian) EMAS group in 1993, after a study conducted by Murdoch University. The study identified a significantly large culturally and linguistically diverse ageing population and found that a key issue was healthAgeing isolation.
In 2002 the City of Melville secured recurrent Health Department funding for the EMAS program. This successful program has expanded and is currently providing centre-based respite care, 4 days a week, to an average of 120 frail aged or healthAgeingly isolated Asian, European and South Asian seniors.
Initiative
The Ethnic Melville Active Seniors Club (EMAS) caters for frail aged and healthAgeingly isolated seniors from culturally diverse backgrounds. The aim of the Club is to ensure that these senior residents have access to appropriate activities and services to help maximise their quality of life, intellectually, physically and spiritually. Specifically, the Club provides:
- culturally appropriate centre-based respite program for frail aged or healthAgeingly isolated Seniors from Asian, South Asian and European backgrounds residing in the City of Melville or South West Metropolitan Areas of Perth
- respite for the carers/families of these individuals
- partnerships between the City of Melville and CALD communities
- members of these groups with their only opportunity for connection with the broader community.
The program has been designed in consultation with the participants to ensure it is culturally appropriate. It continues to expand to reach new ethnic groups, and improve its services through collaboration with appropriate agencies.
Bilingual-bicultural workers with strong networks within their own communities coordinate the programs. The workers handle most of the planning, client contact and day-to-day operations of the EMAS groups also relying on bilingual volunteers to carry out the group activities.
Achievements
Evaluation of this program and feedback from participants, families, staff and volunteers indicates positive effects of the individuals as well as the cultural communities.
Promotion and celebration of the diversity and inclusion within City of Melville is evident by the following projects and achievements.
- Involvement of members of these groups in an oral history project "Taste of History"
- Involvement of members in an intergenerational storytelling training project " Tales of Time Past
- Involvement of members in a 4-week healthy ageing/ life long learning project funded by the Positive Ageing Grants. The program included Yoga and Tai Chi sessions and Ballroom dancing as well as physical therapy exercises for the frailer seniors
- Information sessions on relevant topics such as healthy eating, asthma education and management, diabetes, continence awareness and alternative therapies
- Involvement of members and their images and colours representing the various cultures in an arts/photographic display (Community Arts Project) on the external and internal walls at Bull Creek Community Centre where the EMAS groups are held
- Development of the City of Melville Multicultural Banners
- 9 -10 customer satisfaction result from City of Melville Delsurv consumer survey
- National Commendation in the 2003 "Strength in Diversity" category, National Awards for Local Government.
Contact for further information
- Joanne Visic
- Acting Community Development Officer - Bull Creek
- City of Melville
- Locked Bag 1
- Booragoon WA 6954
- Ph: 08 9364 0146
- jvisic@melville.wa.gov.au
