A community leader has acknowledged that in some communities there is a major stigma associated with seeking help from outside the family.
The Italian community typically knows the value of family.
Thomas Camporeale, general manager of the Italian Community Association of Assistance, says that is especially the case when it comes to caring for the elderly.
"Family's everything in our community. It's actually, I would say, our first core value," he said.
"Generally, within our culture, there is an expectation family does step in to provide care.
"That may be a live-in arrangement or may just be being very involved in caring and in knowing what's happening in mum and dad's life."
That can mean most older Italian-Australians are looked after well.
But, Mr Camporeale says, it is not always the case.
"In Italy, concepts like residential care and community care are still quite foreign. Because of the way communities are formed in Italy, particularly in the smaller towns, families, they live very close to one another.
"That can get complicated, though, in a big city like Sydney, where families are often living in different areas because of work or because of personal circumstances."
Mr Camporeale says in some Italian communities there can be a stigma attached to seeking care outside of the family.
But he says his organisation is trying to change that.
"We do a lot of work in educating our community that seeking help is okay. What we're doing is working with the younger generation to kind of break those barriers. But for some people, that's still really challenging."
It is also proving a challenge in the broader community.
A couple, both in their 80s, were found dead in their home this week in Palm Beach, on Sydney's northern beaches.
The husband, who was his wife's carer, is believed to have died of natural causes.
Superintendent Dave Darcy, from NSW Police, says without her husband's help, his partner, who was blind and had other disabilities, apparently died some time later.
"Unfortunately, the primary caregiver, the male, has passed away, and then that's left the female vulnerable. They had refused help from the elderly services and medical professionals."
But police say support should also be coming from the community.
Superintendent Darcy used social media to get that message out.
On the Northern Beaches local police Facebook page, he wrote:"So, just for 20 minutes, time to put down those iPhones and iPads and hold back the selfies and making friends with people you don't know, and have a real conversation with your elderly neighbour."
Superintendent Darcy says, with an ageing population, those conversations are now more crucial than ever.
"The population is ageing. We're having a dramatic increase in dementia. Our community here - and, in fact, across Australia - has to step up and make those more positive interactions with the elderly."
