Migration
Greece and other countries with large Greek-speaking populations, (Egypt, Turkey, Cyprus) have provided Australia with one of its largest immigrant groups. You will understand much more about your clients once you have heard their migration stories. This section will help you to understand the context of Greek migration and some of the needs and experiences of Melbourne’s Greek community.
Your client will almost certainly be one of the hundreds of thousands of Greeks compelled to leave their homeland amid tumultuous political, social and economic events. Hearing your client tell their story will benefit them and provide a strong basis for developing a meaningful relationship in any care setting, with benefits for client health and wellbeing. This may be particularly pertinent for elderly people who have dementia. Read about the background to your client’s departure from Greece in the section Migration to Australia.
Greek Australians like all migrants have contributed enormously to Australia’s economic prosperity and have enriched its culture. The influence of Australia’s large Greek population is readily seen in Melbourne, in its restaurants and shops and in the persons of the many prominent second and third generation Greek Australians in business, law, sport, medicine, arts and higher education. The Demography section provides details on age, geographical location, and English proficiency of persons over the age of 60. See Geography and History also to find out where your client came from and learn more about their history and cultural heritage.