Language Barriers in Long-term Aged Care Homes: Design Considerations for Translation Technology

Abstract

Language barriers pose communication challenges between aged care residents and caregivers from different cultural backgrounds, impairing residents' wellbeing. Yet, relatively little is known about design considerations for translation technology used in aged care. To address this gap, we conducted interviews with 18 caregivers in an Australian aged care home. We found that addressing language barriers was complex due to the varied cultural backgrounds of residents and caregivers, residents' declining language abilities, and diverse forms of everyday conversations. Caregivers desired to mitigate language barriers to provide better care, but current services and tools did not sufficiently mee..