Transcript LifeSpan Respite for GLBT Families - ARCH-NRN
Life Span Respite for GLBT Families
LGBT Boomers & Beyond Coalition
Presenters
Adero C E Allison, PhD
Transitioning Adults plus ®
Donna Heppermann, MSW
LGBT Boomers & Beyond Coalition
Why do we need to discuss this community?
How are GLBT any different from anyone else?
3 Barriers Impede Successful Aging
Reduced Financial Security Unequal Treatment under laws & programs Reduced Health & Health Care Medical decision-making laws exclude families of choice, Nursing Homes leave LGBT especially vulnerable Reduced Community Support Stigma, Isolation from LGBT Community, Discrimination in Housing access © 2009 Allison, Brown & Collegae, Inc.
LGBT Youth Are:
2 to 6 times more likely to attempt suicide than heterosexual youth.
30% of all reported teen suicides 50% of all gay and lesbian youth report that their parents reject them due to their sexual orientation.
26% of gay and lesbian youth are forced to leave home (40% of homeless youth) 25% verbally abused by parents, 10% dealt with threatened or actual violence 28% drop out of high school, 27% have been physically hurt by another student (PFLAG Phoenix, 2011)
LGBT Older Adults Are:
Twice as likely to age as a single person Twice as likely to live alone Three to four times less likely to have children to support them More likely to develop mental health and substance abuse issues A life time of fear creates hesitation to seek services
(National Resource Center on LGBT Aging, 2011)
LGBT General Statistics
12% care for non relatives 14% care for friends 18% care for partners 36% care for parents 1 in 5 unsure who will take care of them 40% expect medicare to pay for care (it doesn't).
NOT included in FMLA for partner care Denied decision making and visitation Excluded from end of life decisions
(National Resource Center on LGBT Aging, 2011)
Health Marginalization
Heterosexual
Health insurance covers family Supplemental insurance for spouses Prescription drug coverage
GLBT
Lack of coverage for family of choice, kicked out of biological family Supplemental insurance denied Costly prescriptions not covered © 2009 Allison, Brown & Collegae, Inc.
Three Main Issues Faced by LGBT Aging
Aging Parents & Older Relatives Aging Alone or With a Partner Aging With Disabilities or In Good Health
Narrative - Safe Housing Personal Experience Rev. Adero C E Allison, PhD We visited a transgender woman from our church who had been admitted to a facility for care. Upon visiting her it was noted that she was in a room with and treated as a man. She was not helped from her bed to her powerchair for weeks at a time, keeping her isolated in her room. A used urinal was left on her bedstand (the one meals are served on). It was there on two different visits even though we complained to the director of the facility. She was unshaven with her hair not combed and matter in eyes on most visits. It was striking that her non ambulatory roommate appeared clean and cared for.
(Allison, 2011)
Narrative - Assisted Living
Personal Experience Rev. Adero C E Allison, PhD A Care Manager took two women to visit an assisted living community to determine whether this would be a good alternative to their condo. The Sales Person informed them that no two women could live together in their community. The rules prohibit cohabitation by any other than married individuals. It was not clear whether couples were asked to produce their marriage certificates with their applications. (Allison, 2010)
Implications: LGBT do not share the benefits of shared income that are mostly covered by marriage .
Myths and Facts True or False
Gay people don't live nearly as long as heterosexuals.
FALSE - This falsehood can be traced directly to the discredited research of Paul Cameron and his Family Research Institute, specifically a 1994 paper he co-wrote entitled, "The Lifespan of Homosexuals.”
Older adults—those age 50 and older—are not at risk for HIV or AIDS.
(Southern Poverty Law Center, 2011) (LGBT Aging Center, 2011)
FALSE - The rates of HIV/AIDS among older adults 50 and over have increased more than 61% from 2001 to 2007. Research shows that those age 50 and older now comprise 27% of the overall population of people living with HIV/AIDS, and by 2015 will become the majority of all people living with HIV /AIDS. In addition, the latest national data show that adults 50 and older account for.
Myths and Facts True or False
Older adults are not sexually active.
Older adults are less likely to be tested for HIV/AIDS than other age groups.
(LGBT Aging Center, 2011)
FALSE - Research shows heterosexual and LGBT older adults are sexually active well into their mid-80s, with a 2007 national study showing 53% of adults age 65-74 and 26% of adults age 75-85 as being active with one or more partners.
TRUE - Older adults are less likely to be tested because they are not perceived to be at risk, including being sexually active and/or intravenous drug users.
[ In addition, doctors are less likely to ask older patients about sexual activity.
How many GLBT are served by your organization?
10 - 12% of the adult population means probably the same percentage of your clients (whether you know them or not)
What ’s Missing?
LGBT Community Connections:
A Process That Links LGBT aging and the Service Provider Community
An Example of Straight Allies and the LGBT Community Working Together
LGBT B & B Coalition History
Started by talking with people known from the LGBT community Began a caregiver support group Put together a group of representatives from the LGBT community and open & affirming community agencies Presented community seminars on legal issues
What ’s Missing?
Safe and Affirming Services
: Cultural Competency Training and Policies that Directly Address this Community
Offer Safe and Affirming Care Options
© 2009 Allison, Brown & Collegae, Inc.
Be Prepared to Answer These Questions
(and more) Are there any same gender couples or lesbian/gay individuals in your community/organization?
How are they treated by staff? by other residents?
Do you have policies that might impact care of a LGBT persons?
Do admission forms acknowledge partnership relationships?
Some Questions to Ask Yourself as a Provider
Does my staff honor the level of ‘outness’ or ‘not outness’ of individuals How do we distinguish between Gender Identity vs. Physical Attributes when providing care?
What’s my level of knowledge of issues that affect the LGBT community?
Organizations that May Help
PFLAG (nine chapters in Arizona) National Gay & Lesbian Task Force Services & Advocacy for Gay & Lesbian Elders LGBT Boomers & Beyond Coalition One Voice Community Center GayArizona.com for resources near you
What ’s Missing?
Advocacy for Laws That Protect Economic Resources:
Personal and organizational action to encourage equity in legal protection.
Invisible People
Research at the federal and state levels is almost non-existent No mandate to provide culturally competent services to LGBT people Federal “safety net” programs (Soc. Sec., Medicaid etc.) define family in ways that dis-empower and exclude LGBT families, partners and spouses © 2009 Allison, Brown & Collegae, Inc.
Legal Contrasts
Traditional Marriage Same Sex Life Partner
Soc. Sec. Survivor benefits Soc. Sec. Spouse eligible for ½ of spouse’s benefit Medicaid protects assets and homes when spouse enters nursing home or LTC Tax laws protect 401Ks & pensions for spouses No Survivor benefit Unmarried partners not eligible No matching benefit for life long partners – may lose their home when partner needs care Tax laws discriminate against surviving partners © 2009 Allison, Brown & Collegae, Inc.
Housing
. . .
and for these older adults who want a place to retire, the answer might be one of about 25 retirement communities in the U.S.-- catering specifically to gays and lesbians -- that are available now or planned for the near future.
© 2009 Allison, Brown & Collegae, Inc.
“Some older people put off health care because they don ’t want to have frank discussions about their orientation with their doctors.
”
Jay Smith Executive Director the Ventura County Rainbow Alliance gay advocacy group
Transgender Health
Access to health care and health insurance is even less prevalent among transgender individuals.
Transgender youth and people of color may be particularly at risk of economic and social marginalization, including poverty and homelessness.
Now is the time to address the services every aging adult should have access to.
© 2009 Allison, Brown & Collegae, Inc.
The Landscape is Changing
More than One in 10 Same-Sex Couples Include a Partner over 65, More than One in Four Include a Partner over 55 By 2020 the number of gays and lesbians over 50 in the US will have gone up to nearly six million The number of GLBT Americans over 65 will more than double in the next 25 years, from an estimated 3 million to 7 million.
Next Steps
Introduce LGBT Cultural Competency Training Into Our Organizations Establish Safe Environment Practices for Employees and Residents Spread the Word!
2nd Annual Statewide LGBT Boomers and Beyond Conference
April 27 & 28, 2012
Visit our Website: http://lgbtboomersandbeyond.wordpress.com/
Transitioning Adults plus
® Our passion is to provide services that embody trust, integrity and a person-centered approach helping families through transitions caused by aging and/or disability.
LGBT Boomers and Beyond
A coalition enhancing quality of life through resources, education and advocacy, so that Arizona LGBT Boomers and Beyond are aware, empowered and connected.
• • •
Resources
Outing Age: Public Policy Issues Affecting Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender Elders by Sean Cahill, Ken South and Jane Spade http://www.thetaskforce.org/reports_and_research/outing_age _2010 Find the Dollars You Deserve A Roadmap to Federal Funding for Aging Services: Navigating the Federal Government for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Organizations http://www.thetaskforce.org/downloads/resources_and.../find_ the_dollars.pdf
Caring for caregivers The issues — and interventions — are different for racial and ethnic minority caregivers. By Rebecca A. Clay February 2009, Vol 40, No. 2 http://www.apa.org/monitor/2009/02/caregivers.aspx
Resources
• • Gay and Lesbian Retirement Communities: Gays and lesbians over 50 find friendship, community and mutual support, By Sharon O'Brien http://seniorliving.about.com/od/housingoptions/a/gay_housin g.htm
Population Resources Center: Providing the Demographic Dimension of Public Policy http://www.prcdc.org/300million/The_Aging_of_America/
Resources
The Cost Of Marriage Inequality To Gay, Lesbian And Bisexual Seniors: A Human Rights Campaign Foundation Report January 29, 2004 http://www.hrc.org/documents/cost_of_marriage.pdf
Senior-care providers face more gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender clients, report indicates from: Pioneer Press | December 22, 2010 http://www.aarp.org/relationships/caregiving/news-12 2010/senior_care_providers_face_more_gay_lesbian_bisexual _and_transgender.html
Resources
10 Anti-Gay Myths Debunked By Evelyn Schlatter and Robert Steinback, Southern Poverty Law Center http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence report/browse-all-issues/2010/winter/10-myths# LGBT Aging Center http://lgbtagingcenter.org/resources/resource.cfm?r=322 Unmarried Partners Make Up 6% of U.S. Households Advocate.com Editors http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2011/05/04/Unmarried_P artners_Make_Up_Six_Percent_of_US_Households/
For More Information
LGBT Boomers & Beyond Coalition
www.lgbtBoomersAndBeyond.org
Transitioning Adults plus®
. . . life transition guidance
1-888-795-6838 www.TAplus.com
© 2009 Allison, Brown & Collegae, Inc.