In April 2020, the Older Persons Covid-19 Support Line was launched, giving those who had technological difficulties a way of finding information and asking questions regarding Covid-19. Extended support has recently been added, providing additional services aimed toward those who need to discuss an important topic like Covid-19 in their native language, for their convenience.
The aim is to reduce the language barriers by providing a service where those in need of information can request the call in their preferred language.
The Multilingual Older Persons Covid-19 Support Line covers Arabic, Cantonese, Greek, Italian, Mandarin and Vietnamese. These languages have been chosen because most people over 65 years old are most likely to be speaking one of these languages if English is not their first language, according to ABS Census Data. This list may be increased in the future.
The service and live chats will be available 2pm to 5pm, Sydney time. The phone numbers for each language are as follows;
📞 1800 549 844 – Italian
📞 1800 549 845 – Greek
📞 1800 549 846 – Vietnamese
📞 1800 549 847 – Mandarin
📞 1800 549 848 – Cantonese
📞 1800 549 849 – Arabic
You can find out more at PICAC Alliance’s website here.
More resources are being added regularly, so it’s advised that carers check the website for updates so they can relay the most current information to their clients.
Many different organisations assisted in the creation of the Multilingual Older Persons Covid-19 Support Line, which is led by the Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing (supported by Benetas) in partnership with Spectrum Migrant Resource Centre. These include:
With so many reputable organisations working together on this helpline, clients, loved ones and carers can rest assured that this service will provide accurate information to help those with language barriers find out everything they need to know during the pandemic.
For our regular Covid-19 updates, please check out this page.
