TAKE ACTION: AGING AND CAREGIVING
By 2020, an estimated 54.6 million Americans will be 65 or older. More than 3 million of these Americans will be lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT).
As LGBT people age, they face financial, personal and cultural barriers when attempting to access affordable housing, health care and social services. These barriers are further magnified by the social isolation and ageism that is endemic in the LGBT community itself. While LGBT seniors face many similar issues as their heterosexual counterparts, many are faced with the daunting prospect of having to go back Òinto the closetÓ at group homes and healthcare providers' offices, where they may be forced to fit within an inaccurate gender identity or expression or to separate from their partners.
Many LGBT elders have fewer support systems than their heterosexual counterparts, in part because they may be estranged from biological families and have few children. As they age, LGBT people are more likely to live alone, not be partnered and to have to rely upon fragile social networks of friends for psychosocial and care giving needs. Developing innovative support networks is critical for them to age successfully
Legal and policy frameworks deny LGBT people access to financial resources, including inheritance rights given by formal marriage and community support networks:
- Social Security does not pay survivor benefits to the same-sex life partner of someone who dies, equating to an estimated $124 million a year in disallowed benefits to LGBT elders.
- Medicaid regulations fail to protect the assets and homes of same-sex partners when the one partner enters a nursing home or long-term care facility.
- Tax laws and other regulations of 401(k)s and pension plans discriminate against same-sex partnerships; costing the surviving partner in a same-sex relationship tens of thousands of dollars a year.
- The most basic rights, such as hospital visitation or the right to live in the same nursing home or long term care facility, are not guaranteed to same-sex partners.
- Couples where one or more partner is transgender face not only the above losses but may face the invalidation of their identity, marriage, or inheritance rights when their partner becomes ill or dies.
- lder LGBT people are not only underserved, they are also understudied. In addition to changes in hurtful policies, a research agenda is urgently needed.
Everyone has the right to a rewarding, healthy old age. As you get older, you may face a number of barriers that are unique to LGBT seniors as well as concerns that are typical of seniors.
However, there are resources out there that can assist you in your search for culturally competent healthcare and LGBT-friendly communities. Additionally, there are lots of fun and basic things you can do to keep yourself happy and healthy. Everyone deserves to live a full and interesting life as a senior citizen!
Here's what you can do to ensure a happy and healthy old age:
- Make new friends in your community in order to strengthen your support network and make your aging process easier.
- Look into advance health care directives, which are essential if you want your partners, friends or other non-family members to participate in health care decisions on your behalf.
- Research LGBT-friendly assisted living facilities -- the majority of American LGBT senior communities are clustered in states such as Arizona, New Mexico and Florida. Boston, Los Angeles, New York and Palm Springs are also popular sites.
- Connect with your local community center and check out what classes and activities they have there.
- Do some exercise! Yoga, dancing and walking are fun and easy ways to get moving.
- Stimulate your intellect through visual art, music or literature.
TAKE ACTION: LGBT Health is a Lifelong Issue!
For more information, please see:
The LGBT Aging Project
(www.lgbtagingproject.org)
The
Lesbian and Gay Aging Issues Network (http://www.asaging.org/networks/index.cfm?cg=LGAIN)
The National Gay and
Lesbian Task Force (www.thetaskforce.org)
SAGE USA (www.sageusa.org)