About us
MiCare believes that culture is important. We believe that people have a right to be respected and that differences should be celebrated.
MiCare
It’s all in our name – MiCare, or Migrant Care, is Australia’s preeminent provider of people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. We understand your culture and speak your language. We are committed to providing a comprehensive range of culturally appropriate care in the most professional, compassionate, and dignified manner. We strive to provide holistic care for elders, families, and clients taking into consideration their spiritual, physical, social, and psychological needs.
Today, MiCare has a range of services to offer such as Residential Aged Care, Retirement Living, Home Care services, Migrant services, Social Support Groups, Volunteers, Meals (MiMeals), and other community services.
Our Values
Trust : We believe in the mutual expectation of acceptance, respect and fair treatment
Empowerment : We will provide each other with the means and knowledge to make our own decisions and we will have confidence and trust in each other
Flexibility : We accept the need for change to adapt to different conditions and circumstances as they occur
Harmony : We encourage staff, elders and family to work together to build meaningful relationships
Empathy : We recognise the power of understanding and imaginatively stepping into another person’s shoes; we acknowledge their feelings towards an object or person and in doing so share their happiness or sadness.
Our Mission
To enable migrants to have comfortable, enjoyable, dignified and meaningful lives
Our Ethos
Enabling you to live in your world, as we provide services that suit your culture, spirituality and language.
Our Vision
To continue leading aged care through:
- Providing quality services in your home or ours
- Planned growth coupled with sustained financial viability
- Nurturing our people through evolving our highly competent staff and volunteers
- Actively promoting diversity of cultures
- Informed advice and influence on industry direction and government policy
- Good governance
History
MiCare started off as an aged care service for Dutch migrants and was first known as DutchCare providing ethno-specific care to the elderly Dutch who, although well assimilated into the Australian way of life, experienced English language loss or language reversal. Our approach acknowledged the physical, mental, and spiritual comfort derived from familiar surroundings, first language, food from the place of birth, ethno-specific entertainment, and common religious affiliations.
DutchCare Ltd was formed on 1st October 1996 out of a three-way amalgamation of Avondrust Incorporated (1974), Dutch Australian Community Action Incorporated (1984) and the Holland Australian Retirement Foundation Incorporation (1971).
In 2001, DutchCare adopted the ‘Eden Alternative’ philosophy where the emotional, spiritual, and physical needs of people are met by embracing an intergenerational and partnership approach. Today, all of our Services embrace the ‘Eden Alternative’.
In 2010, our commercial kitchen in Seaford, known as MiMeals, was completed and we began providing culturally appropriate food throughout Victoria.
In 2013, DutchCare and New Hope Foundation (a Settlement service providing government funded refugee and asylum seeker programs) began working side-by-side in programs such as community visiting and capacity building. As our relationship grew, we acknowledged the commonalities of the two organisations, especially our value systems and the communities we served, which lead to the two organisations merging on 1st October 2016.
On 1st July 2016, DutchCare was renamed MiCare to reflect our focus on all migrant groups, not just the Dutch. The merger with the New Hope Foundation consolidated
our work with new and emerging ethnic communities. Where the aged were concerned, our experience confirmed that English language loss or language reversal was common to other groups from a non-English speaking background and that, they too, needed services that reflected their ethnic backgrounds.
The next merger occurred with the Netherlands Retirement Village Association Queensland (NRVAQ) on 1 July 2017. NRVAQ operated the Prins Willem Alexander aged care home and retirement village in Birkdale, Queensland, and a strong relationship with MiCare had developed over 10+ years, ultimately leading to the two organisations merging to achieve efficiencies and synergies.
Finally, in 2018 we merged with the Dutch Australian Community Centre (a recreation centre) in Sunshine.
With these mergers some things remain constant, that is, the importance of relationships, making the lives of those around us as good as we can, maintaining the community spirit that keeps us going, and finally, making a difference in each other’s lives.
In summary:
We believe that people have a right to be respected and that differences should be celebrated. We love to hear the stories of our elders and clients, whatever their origins, and to honour their language, their foods, and their wider culture.
