Australia is a multicultural and diverse country. If you come from a culturally diverse background, speak a language that is not English, or have particular needs, you are not alone.

Your community

Whether you are an older person or you care for an older person, there is support available for people of different backgrounds and situations, including:

Your language

My Aged Care can help you access aged care information in other languages and contact us when you need to.

Support for hearing and vision impairment

We provide information that is accessible for people with particular needs, such as hearing or vision impairment.

  • My Aged Care is an accessible website, designed to be usable by people with particular needs.
  • A friend or a family member can speak to My Aged Care on your behalf by becoming your representative.
  • If you are deaf, deafblind, or hard of hearing, you can also access My Aged Care via Deaf Connect. They can provide in-person sign language interpreting and Video Remote Interpreting services.
  • If you are visually impaired, you can access your support plan and other information through your My Aged Care Online Account which is accessed through myGov. You can also request information in large print or braille by contacting My Aged Care.

Translated materials on this website are for reference only and are not available to order in hard copy. If there is a difference between the translated material and the original English text, please refer to the English version.

Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National)

People who have difficulty speaking or understanding English can contact My Aged Care through the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National), for the cost of a local call:

  1. Call TIS National on 131 450
  2. Tell the operator the language you speak
  3. Ask the interpreter to call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422.

You may need to wait on the line for the interpreter, or the operator may need to call you back when an interpreter is available.

When you are speaking with the interpreter, they will call My Aged Care for you and interpret your conversation.

You can also visit National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) for more translation and interpretation services.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Interpreting Service  

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (who speak one of the below languages) can connect to My Aged Care through Interpreter Connect.

Call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 and ask for an interpreter from the following list of languages:

  • Alyawarre

  • Anmatyerr

  • Arrernte (Eastern Central)

  • Arrernte (Western)

  • Burarra

  • Djambarrpuyngu

  • Kala Kawaw Ya

  • Kala Lagaw Ya

  • Kriol (Top End)

  • Meriam Mir

  • Ngaatjatjarra

  • Pintupi-Luritja

  • Pitjantjatjara

  • Torres Strait Creole/Yumpla Tok

  • Warlpiri

  • Yankunytjatjara

 

Through the interpreter, My Aged Care will answer your aged care questions and then, if asked to, assist you with accessing services.

National Relay Service (NRS)

People who have a hearing or speech impairment can contact My Aged Care through the National Relay Service in three easy steps:

  1. Visit the National Relay Service website
  2. Select your preferred NRS access point
  3. Provide the My Aged Care number - 1800 200 422.

Sign Language Interpreting Services

If you are Deaf, Deafblind, or hard of hearing, you can access free interpreting or captioning services, through Deaf Connect. 

This service is available for people who don’t have access to interpreting services through aged care programs or the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). You don’t need an aged care assessment to access this service.

To make a booking, call 1300 773 803 or email interpreting@deafconnect.org.au well in advance to ensure an interpreter is available.

Our Auslan captioned introduction video can also show you how My Aged Care can help you find Australian Government-funded aged care services. Watch the video on Youtube.

Easy read brochures and booklets

Easy read is a format that presents information in a way that is simple to understand. It uses images to support text, large font and plenty of white space. Easy read documents can be read online or  easily printed.

Easy read can be useful for people who are not familiar with English, or who have low literacy or a learning disability.

We have the following My Aged Care resources available in Easy read format:

Website accessibility

The Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care takes seriously its obligation to provide information to all Australians and has taken steps to improve the accessibility of the information on the My Aged Care website.

All content produced for publishing on this website is designed in accordance with the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 standard, making the website usable for a wide range of people with special needs.

If you have any comments on the accessibility of the website, or if you have any suggestions for how we might improve it, please contact us.