Formal Dementia Care for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Communities in Australia: A Scoping Review

In Australia, standardised formal dementia care models often overlook the cultural, linguistic and spiritual needs of CALD communities, resulting in delayed and inadequate care. Culturally responsive approaches are critical for effective dementia management. This scoping review identified primary literature (2015-2025) from MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, and Scopus that investigated formal dementia care for Australian CALD populations. Screening and data extraction were conducted using Covidence, followed by thematic analysis. Ten eligible studies revealed two main categories: (1) barriers in formal dementia care - recognising themes of sociocultural, communication, systemic, technological, and access issues; and (2) improvement strategies - with themes of culturally tailored resources, language support, increased accessibility, workforce training, community education, and policy reform. Addressing the cultural and systemic barriers requires culturally tailored care, bilingual resources, and professional training. Further research should assess their long term efficacy and inform in-company policies for an equitable and inclusive care system.