Publications by authors named "Yvonne Santalucia"

Article Synopsis
  • This study investigates the outcomes of people with traumatic hand injuries and how they differ based on whether they had a pre-existing mental health diagnosis.* -
  • The research involved a diverse patient group, assessing mental health, physical recovery, and return-to-work status three months after surgery.* -
  • Findings indicate that individuals with a pre-morbid mental health diagnosis generally reported poorer recovery outcomes, including worse overall mental health and increased symptoms of anxiety, depression, and pain.*
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Introduction: The rapid adoption of telehealth during the global pandemic has the potential to widen disparities for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) consumers. We explored the perspectives and experiences of CALD consumers accessing telehealth during the global pandemic and those of their healthcare providers.

Methods: A multistakeholder mixed-methods study involving two parallel samples comprising consumer-participants ( = 56) and healthcare provider-participants ( = 81).

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Objective: The current study examined patterns in COVID-19 testing and vaccination intentions across multiple language groups in Greater Western Sydney, Australia.

Methods: Participants completed a cross-sectional survey available from March 21 to July 9, 2021 in Sydney, Australia. Surveys were available in English or translated (11 languages).

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Background: To investigate whether culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities in Western Sydney have experienced any positive effects during the COVID-19 pandemic, and if so, what these were.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey with ten language groups was conducted from 21st March to 9th July 2021 in Sydney, Australia. Participants were recruited through bilingual multicultural health staff and health care interpreter service staff and answered a question, 'In your life, have you experienced any positive effects from the COVID-19 pandemic?' Differences were explored by demographic variables.

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Objective: To explore the psychological, social and financial outcomes of COVID-19-and the sociodemographic predictors of those outcomes-among culturally and linguistically diverse communities in Sydney, Australia.

Design: Cross-sectional survey informed by the Framework for Culturally Competent Health Research conducted between March and July 2021.

Setting: Participants who primarily speak a language other than English at home were recruited from Greater Western Sydney, New South Wales.

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Background/aim: The first evidence-based Clinical Practice Guidelines and Principles of Care for People with Dementia in Australia have been released. The Guidelines detail a number of important evidence-based recommendations for occupational therapists. The aim of this paper is (1) to provide an overview of Guideline development, and (2) to describe the evidence supporting a recommendation for occupational therapy.

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Background: Refugees are one of the most vulnerable groups in Australian society, presenting high levels of exposure to traumatic events and consequently high levels of severe psychological distress. While there is a need for professional help, only a small percentage will receive appropriate care for their mental health concerns. This study aimed to determine cultural considerations required when providing mental health first aid to Iraqi refugees experiencing mental health problems or crises.

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Background: Resources and training for aged care workers who are working with older people from refugee backgrounds are limited. Thus, a resource titled 'Enhancing the Lives of Older Refugees: A self-Improvement Resource for Community Service Providers' was developed in 2011, and later accompanied by a training program developed in 2012. The aim of the resource and accompanying training was to assist community aged care service providers, based in South Western Sydney and surrounding areas, to recognise an older refugee, increase their knowledge and skills in working with older refugees, have a greater understanding of older refugees' life experiences, and provide additional information that would allow them to offer appropriate services to those in their care.

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About 9% of Australians aged 65 years and over have a diagnosis of dementia. Clinical practice guidelines aim to enhance research translation by synthesising recent evidence for health and aged care professionals. New clinical practice guidelines and principles of care for people with dementia detail the optimal diagnosis and management in community, residential and hospital settings.

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Members of minority populations often have difficulty knowing about and accessing dementia services. One of the strategies used to promote access is the employment of bilingual/bicultural workers (sometimes referred to as multicultural, link or outreach workers). This study involved interviews with 24 bilingual/bicultural workers in south western Sydney, Australia to gain a better understanding of their role within the dementia field.

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There are limited language- and culture-specific support programs for carers of people with dementia living in Australia. A group intervention for use with Chinese and Spanish speakers in the United States was adapted to the Australian context, and a pilot study was undertaken with these 2 communities. The intervention is based on a cognitive behavioral therapy approach and was delivered by bilingual health professionals.

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Australia, like other ethnically diverse societies, needs to provide culturally appropriate health care to all its citizens. One way of facilitating this is to ensure that health services research adequately reflects the circumstances and needs of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities within the population. This article discusses the fieldwork phase of a qualitative research project on dementia caregiving in 4 CALD communities in south west Sydney, Australia.

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Providing information about dementia has been shown to produce immense benefits for people living with dementia and their carers. The dementia information needs of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) families have not been comprehensively investigated. Addressing this research gap, the current study examines the perspectives of a range of stakeholders - CALD family caregivers (Arabic, Chinese, Italian and Spanish speaking), bilingual and bicultural workers, bilingual general practitioners and geriatricians - about dementia-related information.

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Background: People with dementia and their family carers need to be able to access formal services in the community to help maintain their wellbeing and independence. While knowing about and navigating one's way through service systems is difficult for most people, it is particularly difficult for people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities. This study addresses a lack of literature on the use of formal services for dementia by people from CALD backgrounds by examining the experiences and perceptions of dementia caregiving within four CALD communities - Italian, Chinese, Spanish and Arabic-speaking - in south western Sydney, Australia.

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Dementia is a chronic illness involving increasing levels of care, often provided by family members, particularly in culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities. Multicultural community link workers are often the primary service providers assisting families to access health and welfare services and as such have extensive experience of, and possess in-depth knowledge about, CALD family care-giving for dementia. While research has been undertaken on dementia in CALD communities, this research has not focused on the experiences and perceptions of these multicultural workers with regards to CALD family care-giving.

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Dementia incidence rates are rapidly increasing among culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) Australians, and there is very little local research to inform practice. In response, a qualitative study employing focus group methods was undertaken with carers from 4 CALD communities-Arabic-speaking, Chinese-speaking, Italian-speaking and, Spanish-speaking. The study examined the experiences and perceptions of these family carers with regard to their caregiving for a person living with dementia (PLWD).

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