When Noel and Sandra Ong moved in with his parents to care for them in their later years, the couple did not know much about dementia.
Both his parents are 86 and have Parkinson's disease, and his mother also has dementia.
"There's not a lot of awareness, even for myself," Mr Ong said at an activity day for elderly people on Wednesday at the Chung Wah Association cultural centre in the northern Perth suburb of Balcatta.
"When we walked into this situation, we didn't really think much about it, or understand what dementia really is.
"Everybody … would say it's memory loss. No one understands about the other bits that come with it."
Films to promote early diagnosis
Aged Care Minister Ken Wyatt, who was at the cultural centre, said dementia diagnosis could be delayed among people from non-English speaking backgrounds because of communication and cultural challenges.
To break through those barriers, carers of people with dementia in migrant communities are being encouraged to talk to friends and family about the issue.
Fifteen films in Mandarin, Cantonese, Hindi, Tamil and Arabic — in which carers across Australia are interviewed about their experiences — are being prepared and will be made available online and in a smartphone app.
The National Ageing Research Institute's federally-funded Moving Pictures project will not only provide information about dementia, but also stress the importance of early diagnosis.
"What we eventually hope to do through Moving Pictures is to increase dementia awareness in these communities but also then to provide a one-stop-shop where people can figure out where to go for further help," the institute's Bianca Brijnath said.
Support for carers, family
Mr Ong said the project would be very useful.
"I think that will help the people around the families, the friends to give them an understanding of what that person is going through," Mr Ong said.
Mr Wyatt said he hoped it would help people with earlier onset of dementia and lead to better treatment plans and a better quality of life.
"This is a beginning step to having peers within the community explain what they are going through in looking after mum or dad who are living with dementia," Mr Wyatt said.
"Some of the challenges they have, but more importantly their understanding of preventative measures, but equally who to turn to for help and where do they get support when it's needed."
More than 425,000 Australians currently live with dementia, and the Federal Government has estimated this will rise to 1.1 million by 2056.
