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Norfolk County's ward of Simcoe
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Caregiver Toolkit: An Online Toolkit to Facilitate Support for Caregivers of Seniors
[British Columbia Psychogeriatric Association (BCPGA)]

The purpose of the project is to facilitate programs and policy that support family/friend caregivers of older adults. To do so this project has developed resources for services providers to service providers, program planners, policy analysts, advocacy organizations, educators and researchers concerned with the needs of caregivers of older adults. The primary resources (See: Service Providers Resource Guide or Caregiver Policy Lens) are both based on information from stakeholders and from academic and other literature. Through this project we hope that the challenges caregivers have identified in obtaining the support they need will be addressed.

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The Gay Seniors, Canada Archive

An archive of news items of interest to the gay,
lesbian & trans seniors communities

Pages  1  2  3  4

Podcast: Seniors Online: Safe, Smart & Active

The Internet is a great way for seniors to stay connected, informed,
and involved. The following tips will help you to keep your
information safe while you are online. Listen here.

Senior Pride Network — Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The Senior Pride Network is an association of individuals, organizations and community groups with a focus on health and social services, that share an interest and commitment to expanding programs and services for older lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, intersexed and 2-spirited people in the City of Toronto.

Gay Elders Going Back in the Closet

The generation that fought hardest to come out is going back in to survive.

They are the new Gen Silent

Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender older people who fought the first battles for equality now face so much fear about discrimination, bullying and abuse that many are hiding their lives to survive.

Thousands are dying earlier than their straight counterparts because they are isolated and afraid to ask for help.

But a growing number of people are fighting to keep their elders from being silenced.

What was it like being 'out' way back then?

• An interview with lesbian Stonewall veteran Stormé DeLarverie [After Ellen]
A Stonewall Veteran, 89, Misses the Parade [New York Times]
• Gay Pride Trailer of After Stonewall [YouTube]
• Proud (40th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots) [YouTube]
• Stonewall Inn Riots - 40 years later [YouTube]
• What Was It Like to Come Out in the 1950's? [Towle Road]

David Mixner: "When I Am Old and Gay......" [Live From Hell's
Kitchen, December 29, 2010]

In the Bible in Palms 71:18 there is a verse that says, "When I am old and gray, do not forsake me..."

The LGBT community is about to lose their tribal leaders, elders and generational history without even a peep. In addition, our collective soul might be scarred for ignoring the plight and needs of those whose sacrifice made it possible for today's generation. Most will never even know or enjoy the rights that they fought so hard for you to celebrate today. They couldn't adopt children, run for office or serve in the military. Often they were institutionalized or forced to live lives of lies and fear.

The baby boom generation of LGBT citizens is the one that spans our history from the oppressive 50's, to the transitional 60's, the liberating 70's, the plague ridden 80's and the beginning of hope in the 1990's. A good deal of the male population of those times already passed in the prime of their youth from HIV/AIDS. Some of the most remarkable women LGBT leaders came to power in that time. Epic battles and tragic stories are waiting to be recorded and told to future generations.

The LGBT community must acknowledge that this generation of LGBT baby boomers is getting old in a time with few services to meet their needs as LGBT seniors. Often they are in smaller and smaller living units, scraping by with little food, limited access to healthcare and almost no living facilities to share with other senior LGBT citizens. The few gay men that are still alive after the AIDS onslaught have few or no peers to share their senior years since the disease wiped out so many of their friends. Like it or not, what remains from the pandemic is an epidemic of loneliness among our seniors.

Adding to our shame in treatment of our LGBT seniors is the fact that we are losing our history. These citizens lived and experienced the transformation of the LGBT community over the last five decades. Their stories are invaluable to future generations especially since we have lost so much of our history to HIV/AIDS. Not only are our storytellers gone but their papers were often destroyed by surviving straight family members. Oral histories should be happening all over the country now. The stories of oppression, bravery, courage and battles fought should not be lost. From our history comes our self esteem and sense of community.

"When I am old and gay, be by my side. Tell me what value I have been to your journey. Let me feel your love and help me celebrate my past. Hold my shaking hands and reassure me of my value. Give me your love to strengthen my journey into new transitions. I know we can all do this as family, as a tribe and as a very special people." David Mixner

David Mixner: Time To Take Care Of Our Seniors [Live From Hell's Kitchen, April 4, 2011]

David Mixner's blog Live From Hell's Kitchen and David Mixner @Wikipedia

David Mixner's bibliography:
• Stranger Among Friends [ Paperback Amazon.ca]
• Brave Journeys: Profiles in Gay and Lesbian Courage [ Paperback Amazon.ca]
• At Home with Myself: Stories from the Hills of Turkey Hollow [ Hardcover Amazon.ca]
• On Becoming A Writer [Hell's Kitchen Journal, January 29, 2012]

My passionate love affair with writing began at a very early age and wasn't fulfilled until the latter part of my life. The years in between were spent overcoming the myths and justifications that danced in my head about why I could never be a writer.

Growing up, books were my great escape. With no television and minimal contact with the outside world, books were a magic carpet that transported me to far away places. My beloved mother, Mary, insisted that all three of her children not only be literate but also love books. We had shelves that dad had made and they were filled with books in the front room. Most of them were very old and out-dated since they had been picked up at penny sales or given to my mother by others.

California's LGBT elders get tools to learn their rights, fight discrimination
[San Diego Gay & Lesbian News, December 21, 2011]

A pioneering new guide released this week gives California's LGBT elders - who are more likely to face discrimination, be low-income and live in poverty - comprehensive information about their rights and the services that are available to them as they navigate the system of public and social benefits.

The guide, called "Navigating the System: A Know-Your-Rights Guide for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Elders in California," is designed as a resource to empower and help protect California's LGBT elders who often are targets of discrimination due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.

The 61-page guide, published by the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Lavender Seniors of the East Bay, Transgender Law Center, Openhouse and Planning for Elders in the Central City, offers a wide range of resources for the state's LGBT elders and equips them with the tools they need to:

        • Know California's anti-discrimination laws

        • Find LGBT-friendly housing and service providers

        • Effectively address discrimination or mistreatment

        • Understand how relationship recognition laws affect benefits

        • Navigate the unique challenges that confront transgender elders

        • Understand how to protect their families and choices with life-planning documents

        • Identify available benefits, particularly for people with disabilities

Advocates and LGBT elder community members put together this publication because they saw a need for a California-specific and comprehensive resource that they could turn to for help explaining information about laws and services, said NCLR Elder Law Fellow Daniel Redman.

[Continued here]

Copy of guide available here as a *.pdf file

HIV and long-term care: Frontline workers need more training as
patients live longer [ XTRA, January 10, 2012]

At Lincoln Place, where Poon was the only openly gay resident, he kept to himself. The average age of other residents was about 80; many had dementia and Alzheimer's. He felt isolated and alone.

One day at dinner he noticed there was blood dripping down his arm from a small cut. A personal support worker (PSW) grabbed him, held up his arm and pulled him into the nurse's station. "He has HIV," shouted the PSW. "Kenneth is bleeding. He has AIDS!"

Poon says everything stopped.

"There is normally a hum of chatter and footsteps in the hall, but at that moment you could hear a pin drop. The PSW did the worst thing. He disclosed my status. By the end of the night, everyone knew I was positive."

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LGBT seniors face harder old age, national study finds
[EurekAlert!, November 16, 2011]

Aging and health issues facing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender baby boomers have been largely ignored by services, policies and research. These seniors face higher rates of disability, physical and mental distress and a lack of access to services, according to the first study [The Aging and Health Report — Disparities and Resilience among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Older Adults] on aging and health in these communities.

The study, released Nov. 16 and led by Karen Fredriksen-Goldsen and colleagues at the University of Washington's School of Social Work, indicates that prevention and intervention strategies must be developed to address the unique needs of these seniors, whose numbers are expected to double to more than 4 million by 2030.

"The higher rates of aging and health disparities among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender older adults is a major concern for public health," said Fredriksen-Goldsen, a UW professor of social work and director of UW's Institute for Multigenerational Health.

"The health disparities reflect the historical and social context of their lives, and the serious adversity they have encountered can jeopardize their health and willingness to seek services in old age."

[Continued here]

• Study: The Aging and Health Report — Disparities and Resilience among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Older Adults [University of Washington, Caring and Aging with Pride, November 16, 2011]

Copy of report available here as a *.pdf file

Kilian Melloy: GLBT Retirement Communities on the Rocks
[Edge Boston, October 30, 2011]

The Oct. 28 Times article recounted how residents at a Santa Fe-based GLBT retirement community, RainbowVision, have become disillusioned after the community opened five years ago. A link to the Santa Fe Reporter led to an article in that publication detailing how residents of RainbowVision were being charged more and more for fees, even as the services they were provided declined. RainbowVision eventually filed for bankruptcy.

Part of the problem is the economic meltdown. A stagnation, and in some parts of the country a decline, in real estate and development has meant that revenue the creators of such retirement communities envisioned was not available. For some retirement communities, that's led to financial crises, while other projects have withered on the vine.

The New York Times noted that "such communities in Austin, Tex., Boston and in the Phoenix area never opened because of a lack of finances. A development near Portland, Ore., is struggling at 25 percent of capacity, and another near Sarasota, Fla., has--like RainbowVision--filed for bankruptcy."

The head of Services and Advocacy for G.L.B.T. Elders (SAGE), Michael Adams, called the trend "very concerning." SAGE recently announced that it had won a contract with the city of New York to open what will be the city's "first full-time center for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) older adults," an Oct. 19 SAGE media release noted.

[Continued here]

• LGBT retirement communities grow in popularity in spite of economic challenges [Edge Boston, May 13, 2010]

Valuing the Invaluable: 2011 Update — The Growing Contributions and
Costs of Family Caregiving [AARP, July, 2011]

Family support is critical to remaining in one's home and in the community, but often comes at substantial costs to caregivers themselves, to their families, and to society. If family caregivers were no longer available, the economic cost to the U.S. health care and long-term services and supports (LTSS) systems would increase astronomically.

This Insight on the Issues, part of the Valuing the Invaluable series on the economic value of family caregiving, updates national and individual state estimates of the economic value of family caregiving using the most current available data. In 2009, about 42.1 million family caregivers in the U.S. provided care to an adult with limitations in daily activities at any given point in time, and about 61.6 million provided care at some time during the year.

The estimated economic value of their unpaid contributions was approximately $450 billion in 2009, up from an estimated $375 billion in 2007. The report also explains the contributions of family caregivers, details the costs and consequences of providing family care, and provides policy recommendations to better support caregiving families.

[Continued here]

• Cost of Taking Care of Mom and Dad [AARP, July 18, 2011]
• Caregiver's Handbook: Caregiver & Elder Advocacy [PBS]

Elderly carers 'need more support from GPs' [BBC, September 11, 2011]

GPs throughout the UK should be giving more support to carers who are aged over 60, a charity says.

The Princess Royal Trust for Carers says family doctors should offer older carers an annual health check, including screening for depression.

The charity says almost 70% of hundreds of older carers questioned in a survey said that their health was suffering because of their responsibilities.

Ministers admitted that more work needed to be done to help older carers.

More than 600 carers aged between 60 and 94 answered questions for a survey by the Princess Royal Trust.

Just over a third reported having cancelled an operation or treatment because of their caring responsibilities, while half said their health had got worse in the past year.

[Continued here]

• Recognised, valued and supported: next steps for the Carers Strategy [Department of Health (UK), November 25, 2010]

Copy of report available here as a *.pdf file

The hard truth about getting old
[Salon, June 27, 2011]

Sixty isn't the new 40, and 80 isn't the new 60. I know it. You know it. So why do we buy into it?

I don't know about you, but the chirpy tales that dominate the public discussion about aging -- you know, the ones that tell us that age is just a state of mind, that "60 is the new 40" and "80 the new 60" -- irritate me. What's next: 100 as the new middle age?

Sure, aging is different than it was a generation or two ago and there are more possibilities now than ever before, if only because we live so much longer. it just seems to me that, whether at 60 or 80, the good news is only half the story. For it's also true that old age -- even now when old age often isn't what it used to be -- is a time of loss, decline and stigma.

Yes, I said stigma. A harsh word, I know, but one that speaks to a truth that's affirmed by social researchers who have consistently found that racial and ethnic stereotypes are likely to give way over time and with contact, but not those about age. And where there are stereotypes, there are prejudice and discrimination -- feelings and behavior that are deeply rooted in our social world and, consequently, make themselves felt in our inner psychological world as well.

I felt the sting of that discrimination recently when a large and reputable company offered me an auto insurance policy that cost significantly less than I'd been paying. After I signed up, the woman at the other end of the phone suggested that I consider their umbrella policy as well, which was not only cheaper than the one I had, but would, in addition, create what she called "a package" that would decrease my auto insurance premium by another hundred dollars. How could I pass up that kind of deal?

[Continued here]

[Los Angeles] Gay Community Launches Pioneering Gay Elder
Project on July 31 [LGBT|POV, July 3, 2011]

July 31 marks the commencement of an innovative project aimed at bringing conscious eldering work into the Los Angeles gay community. It represents a pioneering effort not only for the local community, but is also having a national and international ripple effect.

On Sunday afternoon, July 31, 2011, a special kick-off event will be held at Fiesta Hall in West Hollywood's Plummer Park, located at 7377 Santa Monica Blvd. (at Gardner) in West Hollywood, 1 - 4 p.m., titled The Gay Elder: Archetype of the Spiritual Father. The event is sponsored by the Gay Elder Circle, a new not-for-profit, tax-exempt organization in the gay community. A suggested donation of $5 is requested.

The event will be digitally recorded for later distribution to the public as a DVD.

Gay Liberation pioneer and Jungian psychologist Don Kilhefner, president of the Gay Elder Circle, explained that "the Circle was organized to allow older gay men, many of whom have been active in creating and sustaining the gay community during the past forty years, to continue contributing, but now as aware elders. It is based on the traditional understanding that life is divided into four stages-youth, adult, elder, ancestor-each with its own roles and responsibilities."

[Continued here]

Gay Elder Circle

Gay community faces unique retirement challenges
[ Globe & Mail, June 27, 2011]

As a 33-year-old single gay man, Brian Webb knows his retirement requires special planning.

"I may not have a partner, and definitely no kids to look after me, so I am very cognizant that I might have additional costs," says the Vancouver marketing professional. "If I need special care, such as home care, I will have to pay for that myself."

Mr. Webb is financially savvy, has an updated will, contributes to RRSPs, and is saving to buy his first home. Yet many older members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, particularly those who live far from large urban centres, are struggling with estate-planning issues as well as with finding and funding care.

Caroline Dabu, vice-president of retirement and financial planning strategy with Bank of Montreal, says there are only a handful of retirement homes that are accepting of gay couples or singles.

[Continued here]

Hannah Clay Wareham: LGBT Aging Project adds Senior Tea
Dance to Pride events [Edge Boston, April 24, 2011]

The LGBT Aging Project will be celebrating Pride in a big way this year. The organization has added a Tea Dance for LGBT seniors and friends to their calendar of events that will be held on Sunday, June 6 from 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Whitney Ballroom of Broookline's Holiday Inn (1200 Beacon St.). More than 200 seniors from across the state are expected to attend. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door or in advance beginning May 1.

In addition to the Tea Dance, the LGBT Aging Project will also be hosting a Pride Luncheon for LGBT seniors and friends -- a festive luncheon to help the community celebrate Pride Week on Thursday, June 10 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Café Emmanuel (Emmanuel Church, 15 Newbury St.) in Boston. The suggested donation for the event is $1.75. Interested parties should RSVP by June 1 to Bob Linscott at (617) 522-1292.

As in years past, the LGBT Aging Project will also participate in the Boston Pride parade with their well-known (and well-loved) Senior Pride Trolley on Saturday, June 12 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. RSVP to reserve your spot by calling (617) 477-6695!

For more information about the LGBT Aging Project and upcoming events, please visit LGBTAgingProject.

Peter Rakobowchuk: When it comes to senior suicide, don't be afraid
to ask tough questions [ Globe & Mail, March 24, 2011]

Joan Seabrook felt "absolute devastation" when she first found out that her 68-year-old mother and 69-year-old father had died by suicide.

"It was a suicide pact," Ms. Seabrook, who lives in London, Ont., said in a recent interview. She still remembers the moment 20 years ago when her sister called to pass on the shocking news about their parents' deaths from police in Victoria.

"They weren't ill, they had no medical issues," she added. "They lived in British Columbia and everybody else in the family lived in other cities."

But Ms. Seabrook, who was a 41-year-old school principal at the time, says there were probably hints that something wasn't right which the family didn't pay attention to.

"When I look back I think there were some signs that my dad was getting disconnected from the joy of life, (like) not doing his gardening which he was always doing," she said.

Ms. Seabrook won't talk about how her mother and father took their own lives, but says it had been carefully planned in advance.

"They had it well organized and felt that it was something that they were comfortable doing ... that it was their choice and that they had lived a good life and they were ready to leave," she recalled.

Her parents left a note behind, but Ms. Seabrook did not want to share its contents, except to say that they mentioned they were very proud of all their family.

"They were very organized in terms of letting us know, very thoughtful, very caring," she added.

Ms. Seabrook, who is currently vice-president of the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention, has some advice for families of elderly parents: Don't be afraid to ask questions.

[Continued here]

Late Life Suicide Prevention Toolkit: Life Saving Tools for Health Care Providers [ Canadian Coalition for
Seniors Mental Health]
User-friendly Educational Guides for Seniors and their Families [ Canadian Coalition for Seniors Mental Health]

Call to stop gay senior suicide
[Sydney Star Observer, July 27, 2011]

GLBTI seniors advocates have urged the Gillard Government to develop a national action plan to ensure GLBTI-friendly aged-care services and stop suicidal thoughts among GLBTI elders.

Gerontologist and GLBTI ageing expert Dr Jo Harrison said suicide among GLBTI elders needs urgent attention and a strategy for GLBTI aged care is critical.

"I can tell you things that have been said to me by elders in the course of interviews or discussions that refer directly to an expression of suicidal intent or having made what I considered much more formal preparations," Harrison told the Star Observer.

There is no Australian study probing the rate of suicides or suicidal thoughts among GLBTI seniors, however, Harrison said the trend has been noticed by aged-care workers.

"It's anecdotal but it absolutely can't be ignored," she said.

"Whenever suicide is raised or mentioned it's very easy to go rushing to the statistics that do exist and can be quoted about gay youth suicide . but [suicide rates among GLBTI seniors] is not being researched."

Suicide Prevention Australia reports, although there is an overall longterm decline, more elderly men die by suicide than any other age group.

[Continued here]

Kilian Melloy: Tomorrow's Doctors Not Sure How to Deal with GLBT
Health Issues [Edge Boston, April 11, 2011]

A new Stanford University study shows that although tomorrow's physicians are not prejudiced about treating gays and lesbians, they are not entirely sure how to go about doing so, the Chronicle of Higher Education reported on April 7.

A new report, Medical Students' Preparedness and Comfort Levels in Caring for LGBT Patients, was presented in New Orleans over the weekend at this year's American Educational Research Association conference. The study found that there are health disparities that affect sexual minorities, and analyzed the responses of over 5,000 students in medical schools across the United States and Canada.

Among other things, the report said, studies have demonstrated that sexual minorities seeking health care are often denied treatment or under-served by medical health professionals. They are also more prone to be treated with hostility by health providers than are heterosexuals.

Summarizing the findings of the survey, the Chronicle found that although medical professionals in training no longer fear dealing with HIV/AIDS patients, they are uneasy about topics like transgender patients' sex-change procedures. Another point of uncertainty was mental health for GLBT patients.

[Continued here]

Aging And Sexual Minorities: Exploring The Health And Psychosocial Issues
Of Older Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual And Transgender (LGBT) Individuals
[University of Pittsburgh, June 7, 2007]

Few studies have been carried out that examine the effects aging has on the health of older LGBT individuals. This is a matter that warrants further research, for approximately half a million gay men and lesbians turn fifty each year. As the number of aging LGBT persons grows, so does the need for competent clinical care that addresses the unique health and psychosocial issues of this population. It has been shown that discrimination against LGBT persons exists in the medical setting. Additionally, the literature suggests that medical students do not receive sufficient training regarding sexual minorities. Educating primary care physicians, medical students and other health professionals on how to communicate more effectively with aging LGBT patients can lead to improved health outcomes. This is a goal of public health.

[Continued here]

Disparities: Illness More Prevalent Among Older Gay Adults
[New York Times, April 1, 2011]

Older lesbian, gay and bisexual adults in California are more likely to suffer from chronic physical and mental health problems than their heterosexual counterparts, a new analysis has found. They also are less likely to have live-in partners or adult children who can help care for them.

The research brief was based on data from the California Health Interview Survey, the nation's largest state health survey, gathered in 2003, 2005 and 2007 by the Center for Health Policy Research at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Older gay and bisexual men - ages 50 to 70 - reported higher rates of high blood pressure, diabetes and physical disability than similar heterosexual men, according to the researchers. Older gay and bisexual men also were 45 percent more likely to report symptoms of psychological distress and 50 percent more likely to rate their health as fair or poor. In addition, one in five gay men in California was living with H.I.V. infection, the researchers found.

Yet half of California's older gay and bisexual men lived alone, compared with 13.4 percent of older heterosexual men.

[Continued here]

Aging alone: Older lesbians, gays have higher rates of chronic disease, mental distress, isolation [UCLA Center
for Health Policy Research]

Read the report here (a *.pdf file)

LGBT elders fear discrimination
[365Gay, April 5, 2011]

A majority of respondants who answered a national online survey believe that staff of long-term care facilities would discriminate against them if they were open about their sexual or gender orientation, a new report from the National Senior Citizens Law Center says. The responders included LGBT elders, family members of LGBTs, social service providers and legal service providers.

The report, called LGBT Older Adults in Long-Term Care Facilities: Stories From the Field - analyzed survey results that culled stories of abuse and neglect. Though the survey was not a scientific sample, it included hundreds of personal comments and included reports of 853 instances of mistreatment.

"In SAGE's experience, LGBT older adults often fear that they will encounter providers who might be uncomfortable with, or even hostile, towards them, untrained to work with them or unaware that they even exist. Even when providers are supportive, fear of discrimination keeps many LGBT elders in the closet and prevents them from seeking the care they need," said Michael Adams, Executive Director of SAGE. "This speaks to a great need for training on cultural competency and LGBT aging issues, available through outlets such as the National Resource Center on LGBT Aging, for staff at long-term care facilities."

The survey, website and the report were prepared by the National Senior Citizens Law Center in collaboration with Lambda Legal, National Center for Lesbian Rights, National Center for Transgender Equality, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE).

The full report on LGBT elders is available online.

Sarah Roberts: Gay caregivers 'seriously under-researched'
[ XTRA, December 21, 2010]

A national project is spotlighting the unique and "seriously under-researched" challenges faced by gay and lesbian caregivers.

The three-year initiative -- funded by the federal government through the BC Psychogeriatric Association -- aims to develop better tools for caregivers of older adults, as well as for related support workers and policy makers.

According to principle investigator Penny MacCourt, more information is needed on the "over and above" stresses the gay community faces in the care environment.

At a Vancouver workshop hosted by Qmunity, participants highlighted the emotional, financial and social impacts of their caregiving roles.

They also described gay-specific challenges, which could include relevant resources, recognition of relationships and next of kin, family conflict, not having children, non-traditional support networks, being forced to come out, or not seeking support due to real or perceived homophobia.

Suzanne Cole is the sole caregiver for her 87-year-old mother, who has stroke-related dementia.

Cole says she feels stressed and depressed by her situation and the strained relationship with her mother, in which past tensions have resurfaced.

"I've felt really isolated. I'm discovering more and more that I don't have a life," she says.

. . .

Caregivers are invited to contribute to the project via email to pennymaccourt@shaw.ca

[Continued here]

Lisa Weiner-Mahfuz: Our Queer Intergenerational Life
[The Bilerico Project, March 21, 2011]

Building beloved community is a passion we share. An integral part of our vision of beloved community includes forging intergenerational partnerships. We are particularly committed to building those partnerships in a queer context. Our movement cannot move forward without understanding its past nor can it move without the vision, energy and new ideas of young people. Elders and young people are both needed equally and urgently in order for our movement to grow in ways that heed the lessons of the past and respond to the urgency of the present political and economic moment.

To its detriment, the queer movement has internalized societies devaluing of old people while at the same time actively engaging in dismissing young people. Can we really build a movement that is rooted in historical memory and a bold vision for the future if adultism and ageism are constantly unexamined and at play in our work towards justice?

This is the question that brought us to writing this blog together. It is the question that consistently motivates us to examine these issues in our own intergenerational, multi-racial, mixed gendered and mixed class relationship. We understand that our mutual survival simply depends upon it.

[Continued here]

Carol J. Williams: With same-sex marriage on hold, elderly and ailing couples face a lengthy appeals process [Los Angeles Times, March 27, 2011]

Derence Kernek and Ed Watson live together each day in fear that they won't be able to pledge "till death do us part" before it's too late.

Watson, 78, is in rapidly failing health, afflicted with Alzheimer's disease, obesity, diabetes and hypertension.

A federal appeals court ruled last week that same-sex marriage will remain on hold in California until a judge's ruling striking down Proposition 8 as unconstitutional makes its way through the higher courts - reviews expected to take a year or more.

"We don't have the money to travel to a state where it's legal," said Kernek, 80, observing dejectedly that the travel would probably be too grueling for his partner of 40 years. "Besides, we wanted to do it in California, where our friends are, where we live. Now I don't think we'll be able to, not while Ed can still remember."

[Continued here]

• Gay marriage proponent who urged halt to Prop. 8 enforcement dies [Los Angeles Times, December 8, 2011]

Derence Kernek and Ed Watson became prominent faces in the California gay community's campaign for the right to marry when they urged a federal appeals court earlier this year to halt the enforcement of Proposition 8 so they could wed before Watson succumbed to advancing illness.

On the eve of a Thursday hearing on challenges to a 2010 ruling that the voter initiative banning same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, Watson died at age 78 of complications from Alzheimer's disease, diabetes and hypertension.

Gay rights activists lamented Watson's death as a reminder of the harm inflicted on same-sex couples throughout the state because they are denied the right to marry.

"It's ironic that he died on the eve of appeals about peripheral issues around a case that should have been settled more than a year ago," said Richard Jacobs, chairman and founder of the gay rights advocacy group Courage Campaign, as he was en route to San Francisco for a hearing before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. "None of this will matter to Ed or Derence."

Gay seniors go back to the closet as age care providers shun their needs
[La Trobe University, September 15, 2008]

La Trobe University researcher Dr Catherine Barrett and Melbourne-based gay rights groups have gone public with a shocking report on the social health landscape for gay and other non-heterosexual seniors in Victoria.

The researchers have published their initial findings from a qualitative study of the experiences of gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender seniors receiving aged care services in Victoria.

Commissioned by the Melbourne-based gay and lesbian not-for-profit activist groups Matrix Guild Victoria Inc and Vintage Men Inc., and funded by the Reichstein Foundation, My People is the frontispiece of a four-stage research program to collect evidence and identify strategies to lead aged care reforms.

The report My People - a Project exploring the experiences of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Seniors in Aged Care Services - foreshadows a blueprint for urgent reform in defence of the human rights of gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transsexuals and inter-sex seniors dealing with discrimination and invisibility in Australia's aged care sector.

It reveals the hidden terror confronting gay baby-boomers and other older seniors who are not sexually mainstream - the prospect of confinement to the darkest closet of their lives: old age in Australia in the 21st century.

[Continued here]

The reports

My People - a Project exploring the experiences of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Seniors in Aged Care Services (a *.pdf file)

Determining Strategies to Improve Aged Care Services for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Seniors (a *.pdf file)

Natasha Barsotti: Older lesbian told to get out of bed herself
[ XTRA, March 30, 2006]

On two of the occasions Grace Owens sought health care services in major city areas-once in her mid-40s, the other in her 60s-the outcomes were nothing short of nightmarish.

In 1985, at St Michael's Hospital in Toronto, Owens' already stressful dialysis appointment turned offensive when a social worker found out she was a lesbian, after asking about her marital status and sex life.

"I walked down [to where] they change the [dialysis] tubing," Owens recalls. "There were three nurses there and the speaker phone was on. All of them were hearing the news that that woman was a lesbian.... I was so upset. After that, one of the nurses wouldn't come near me."

Cut to 2002: Owens, then 62 and living in Vancouver, endured a repeat performance of the discriminatory treatment she received at St Michael's, but this time at St Vincent's Hospital which catered specifically to the health care needs of seniors.

A fractured pelvis, sustained when she fell while getting off a downtown bus, eventually landed her in the care of a nurse who insisted she recognized Owens from somewhere. Owens, an activist for senior issues, mentioned she had recently appeared on the front page of a Burnaby newspaper that covered a seniors' walk in which she was interviewed about life as an older gay person.

From that moment, the nurse did her best to minimize contact with Owens, telling her it was time she learned to get in and out of bed on her own.

[Continued here]

Tanya Gulliver: 519 gets funding for queer seniors speakers bureau
[ XTRA, October 9, 2008]

[The 519 is located at 519 Church Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada]

A trans woman in a long-term care facility was being bathed by her nurse. When the nurse discovered the woman had a penis she called all the other nurses in to "see the freak."

The story, related by a personal care worker, is just one of many that Dick Moore has heard through his work as the coordinator of the Older LGBTT Program at the 519 Community Centre.

"Being forced back in the closet by institutions that provide care, by residents of those institutions and their families, is not acceptable," says Moore.

Moore is the coordinator of the new project Speaking Out with Pride which will train seniors to share their personal stories in the hopes of offering service providers a direct understanding of the issues faced by those who depend on their services.

"It's about time queer seniors had a voice," says Moore.

Moore has been training service providers in long-term care facilities and with agencies that provide home support services to seniors since 2004. The roster of speakers trained through Speaking Out with Pride will accompany him to classrooms and conferences.

"I want the older LGBTT community to have spokespersons from among its own ranks, people willing and able to tell their stories with pride and perhaps able to speak up on other community issues," says Moore.

"We're looking to not have them reexperience their oppression in telling the story but to think about the skills and strengths they have developed," he adds.

The 519 has received $25,000 from the federal New Horizons for Seniors Program to recruit and train a group of 10 to 15 older queers to form Speaking Out with Pride. Moore, who is currently recruiting and screening applicants, says the program will aim to include equal numbers of men and women and be diverse in terms of race and sexual orientation, among other things.

Moore points to studies that indicate older queer adults face discrimination in both housing and healthcare, including a McGill University study released in 2006, titled The Health and Social Service Needs of Gay and Lesbian Seniors and their Families, that interviewed 38 older queers, 21 caregivers and 31 healthcare providers in Montreal, Vancouver and Nova Scotia. The study found that the stories of discrimina-tion were similar all across the country.

"Gay and lesbian people of all ages (but especially those who are now 60 years of age and older and who lived their young adult lives at a time of great hostility toward gay and lesbian people), have expe-rienced a variety of discriminatory attitudes and practices in the healthcare system which have contributed to their reluctance to reveal their identities, voice their concerns to healthcare practitioners and use healthcare services," the McGill study states. "What results is a lack of recognition of gay and lesbian seniors and their caregivers and a system that is unprepared to their unique needs and realities."

"A home should be a safe place that is comfortable and congenial," says Moore. "If you require personal and/or nursing care from the folks who work at the place you call home, you may be even more at more risk of discrimination. If someone experiences or even f

For more information about Speaking Out with Pride contact Dick Moore at senior@the519.org or (416) 355-6787.

Susan Pigg: When HIV moves into nursing homes
[ Toronto Star, February 27, 2011]

It was as he writhed in pain on the bathroom floor, his anxious dog curled up in a ball against his back, that the grim reality of growing old with HIV hit Jim Ayerst.

"I've never been suicidal, but that's the first time I thought, it's not worth it. I just want this over.

"I considered jumping off my balcony - but I only live on the second floor."

A wry smile creeps across Ayerst's weary face. He's just 64 but feels 80.

These days he's as terrified as when he walked out of a doctor's office with a diagnosis and an apparent death sentence 20 years ago.

"There are days now I wonder, what am I still doing here?"

[Continued here]

Jessica Bennett: 'Invisible And Overlooked'
[Newsweek, September 18, 2008]

Bob McCoy is a youthful, active 78-year-old. He sings in his church choir, takes a weekly computer class, and regularly attends social gatherings organized by a gay senior citizens group in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lives. But McCoy worries about a day when he can no longer care for himself: he has no close family, no partner, and he's outlived most of his friends. "I'm used to having friends I can call up and say, 'Let's go to [a movie],'" he says. "But now there's nobody to call."

Newly engaged, Jim Fetterman, 62, and Ilde Gonzalez-Rivera, 56, look forward to growing old together at their home in Queens, N.Y., where they share a garden and a green Cadillac. But the couple isn't sure if or when they'll be able to marry. Their house is in Rivera's name, but because the couple can't legally wed in New York, Fetterman won't automatically inherit it, should his partner die. And even though they are registered domestic partners in New York City, neither man will have access to the other's Social Security, because the federal government doesn't recognize their relationship. "It's not something we like to think about, but there's a certain amount of anxiety that comes with not having those things," says Fetterman.

[Continued here]

Sean Cahill: The Long and Winding Road: Growing Older with HIV
[Huffington Post, February 11, 2011]

It is estimated that by 2015, over half of all people living with HIV will be age 50 or older.

2011 -- a new decade and baby boomers across the country are turning 65. The generation that once vowed to remain young forever now complains, "Aging just snuck up on me." Like Matt Sharp, who, when he received his HIV-positive diagnosis over 20 years ago, didn't expect to reach the age of 40, much less 50. Now managing his disease is one of the many aspects of mid life -- he is a passionate activist for the prevention and eradication of HIV working with Project Inform in San Francisco -- but his work was recently interrupted with a bout of pneumonia, unusual for a man in his 50's, not unusual when you are HIV positive.

Helena Bushong, is a transgender activist in her 50's living in Chicago. "When I was diagnosed it totally knocked me over. It took me years to get my feet firmly on the ground. I looked at myself and asked 'What am I doing? I'm living a life I don't like, in a body that feels wrong and I don't have a long time to live' so I decided to finally take the leap and transition -- it's been a hard row."

Diane Divries, 78 lives in Oakland. She was first diagnosed HIV positive when her husband was hospitalized and they learned he had AIDS. "I was stunned. I had no idea -- we'd been married for years. For the first years after I was diagnosed, I took care of him. He was very sick. I'd been a good wife and I was there for him. When he died I realized I hadn't taken care of my self... The confusion is the biggest challenge. I'm getting older and when I go to the doctor with a complaint we ask each other 'is it the HIV?' The answer from both of us is I don't know."

[Continued here]

Jane Gross: Aging and Gay, and Facing Prejudice in Twilight
[New York Times, October 9, 2007]

Even now, at 81 and with her memory beginning to fade, Gloria Donadello recalls her painful brush with bigotry at an assisted-living center in Santa Fe, N.M. Sitting with those she considered friends, "people were laughing and making certain kinds of comments, and I told them, 'Please don't do that, because I'm gay.'"

The result of her outspokenness, Ms. Donadello said, was swift and merciless. "Everyone looked horrified," she said. No longer included in conversation or welcome at meals, she plunged into depression. Medication did not help. With her emotional health deteriorating, Ms. Donadello moved into an adult community nearby that caters to gay men and lesbians.

"I felt like I was a pariah," she said, settled in her new home. "For me, it was a choice between life and death."

Elderly gay people like Ms. Donadello, living in nursing homes or assisted-living centers or receiving home care, increasingly report that they have been disrespected, shunned or mistreated in ways that range from hurtful to deadly, even leading some to commit suicide.

Some have seen their partners and friends insulted or isolated. Others live in fear of the day when they are dependent on strangers for the most personal care. That dread alone can be damaging, physically and emotionally, say geriatric doctors, psychiatrists and social workers.

[Continued here]

Quebec hopes to help gay seniors
[ CTV News, Sunday May. 3, 2009]

The Quebec government is spending half a million dollars on an education campaign meant to improve the lives of gay, lesbian and transgendered seniors.

It's a subject so taboo that the cabinet minister responsible for seniors and representatives of the gay and lesbian communities couldn't find a seniors residence willing to host a news conference.

It was eventually held in a community centre on the fringes of Montreal's gay village.

Still, Minister Marguerite Blais says it's more about ignorance than malice.

"We would have found a residence eventually," she said. "I don't want to accuse anyone of anything. I just want to show how important it is to educate people on this issue."

Laurent McCutcheon of the gay helpline Gai Ecoute says homosexuality isn't discussed in most institutions that serve the elderly, leading many Quebec seniors to hide their sexual orientation.

As they age and lose their autonomy, gay, lesbian or transgendered seniors face stigma, loneliness, social isolation, rejection and in extreme cases, harassment from the very institutions they depend on to meet their needs.

[Continued here]

Steve Weinstein: Addressing the Needs of Gay Seniors
[Edge Boston, Tuesday May 4, 2010]

After years of being ignored, gay seniors are getting a hearing at last. On Wednesday, April 28, U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) joined experts in geriatrics to discuss new legislation to meet the unique needs of older LGBT Americans.

Aging lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender baby boomers are the first generation of LGBT Americans who have lived openly. While most Americans face challenges as they age, these men and women - who lived before Stonewall revolutionized the way we were perceived and treated - have the added burden of a lifetime of stigma; familial relationships that lack recognition under the law; and unequal treatment under laws, programs, and services designed to support and protect older Americans.

The lack of financial security, good health and health care, and social and community support is a fearful reality for a disproportionate number of all older adults, but it especially strikes hard at such a stigmatized population.

In March, a groundbreaking study, "Improving the Lives of LGBT Older Adults," was released by a coalition of organizations headed by the Services and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Elders (SAGE). Other groups that participated were the Movement Advancement Project, the American Society on Aging, the Center for American Progress, and the National Senior Citizens Law Center.

At the same time, Gay Men's Health Crisis, the world's largest private AIDS service agency, released a report, "Growing Old With the Epidemic: HIV and Aging."

With people living longer with HIV, and the epidemic entering its fourth decade, the once unheard-of issue of geriatric AIDS is coming to the fore. Already, one-third of people with HIV in the United States are 50 or older - a figure that will grow to one-half by 2015.

[Continued here]

New Report Highlights the Importance of Training Providers of Aging Services to Meet the Needs of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Older Adults
[SAGE, December 13, 2010]

The report, Ready to Serve?..., presents findings from a survey in PFund's Upper Midwest region of area agencies on aging and their current work with LGBT older adults. In doing so, the report highlights the critical need to train staff members working in agencies that provide direct services to older adults, and suggests that such training is the key to ensuring they meet the needs of LGBT elders.

...

The national study is the first of its kind in more than a decade, and the first to survey non-urban areas and includes questions related to bisexual and transgender older adults. It provides a detailed picture of aging providers' experiences and capacities to serve LGBT older adults.

...

"Because many LGBT older adults have faced a social stigma and prejudice much of their lives, they often fear they will be unwelcome in traditional senior settings, or will encounter aging providers who are unfamiliar with their needs, " said Susan Cogger, PFund director of development and communications. "People who fear discrimination need reassurance at the front end in order to make their way through an agency's doors."

Read the report here (a *.pdf file) and here (a *.pdf file)

Linell Smith: Gay boomers are wary of homophobic retirement care
[Baltimore Sun, April 6, 2007]

During the past three decades, Louis Hughes has demonstrated for gay rights in Annapolis, Md., and Washington, helped set up community and medical services for gays and lesbians and received awards for his efforts to prevent suicide in sexual-minority youths.

Although Hughes is proud of his history as an activist, he worries how his sexual identity may affect his old age. If he must one day enter a nursing home, for instance, the retired Baltimorean worries that being openly gay could put him in jeopardy -- when he's too weak to protest.

How would staff react when his same-sex friends visit? Would there be a payback if they were "too over the top"?

"What if I have a homophobic roommate and I ask to be moved? How would that be perceived?" says Hughes, 63.

"I already pretend that I'm a relative of a friend I'm taking for cancer treatments. But if I'm sick in a nursing home, what if I don't feel up to that battle of working the system? Instead, I may think, 'Gee, this person is taking good care of me, I better watch what I say and what I do. I think I'd better hide my award plaques from working with Gay Pride.' "

This is a concern shared by many baby boomers who fought for the right to be openly gay in mainstream America. They now face a new challenge: remaining openly gay in old age.

[Continued here (a *.pdf file)]

Articles and Studies

•  Out of the closet (The Guardian, Wednesday July 25, 2001)

•  HHS to Create National Resource Center for Elderly Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (Senior Journal, October 22, 2009)

•  Outing Age 2010: Public Policy Issues Affecting Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Elders (NGLTF, November 23, 2009) Read the Report here (a *.pdf file) or here (a *.pdf file),

•  National Gay and Lesbian Task Force: Issues: Aging (NHLTF)

•  Improving the Lives of LGBT Older Adults (SAGE, March 2010) Read the Report here (a *.pdf file) or here (a *.pdf file),

•  Gay & Lesbian Aging Research Project ( Université McGill, Montréal, Québec, Canada, August 2010)

This study explores the needs and issues related to access and equity in health service delivery for gay and lesbian seniors. Read the report's Executive Summary here (a *.pdf file) or here (a *.pdf file)

•  BC Psychogeriatric Association: Centre for Research on Personhood in Dementia: Current Research Projects (University of British Columbia, Canada)

A national project is spotlighting the unique and "seriously under-researched" challenges faced by gay and lesbian caregivers.

The three-year initiative -- funded by the federal government through the BC Psychogeriatric Association -- aims to develop better tools for caregivers of older adults, as well as for related support workers and policy makers.

According to principle investigator Penny MacCourt, more information is needed on the "over and above" stresses the gay community faces in the care environment.

Caregivers are invited to contribute to the project via email to pennymaccourt@shaw.ca

•  Shining a light on ageing (Sydney Star Observer, March 15, 2011)

The all-too-real world of the nursing home takes a turn for the surreal in the the return season of Theatre Kantanka's highly acclaimed production, Missing the Bus to David Jones, coming to the Seymour Centre next week.

The piece was born out of an intensive period of research in private and publicly-funded nursing homes around Sydney in 2008, with the result being a dreamlike representation of what life is like for their residents.

•  [Ottawa] Senior Pride Network takes an activist approach to aging (XTRA, March 17, 2011)

They are a formidable trio.

They were gay liberationists, a force behind HIV/AIDS activism and - now that their hair is greying - they are gearing up for another fight: putting in place better care for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender elders.

Cathy Collett, Barry Deeprose and Marie Robertson are activists who have been fighting for gay rights since the 1970s.

AIDS and Other Health and Security Issues

•  Never Too Old: Sexually active seniors are one of the fastest-growing HIV-infected populations [TIME, June 6, 1999]

•  Are We Thinking About HIV and Older Adults? [The Body, December 31, 2001]

•  Aging HIV Patients Face Complicated Health Issues [Newsweek, September 18, 2008]

Organizations

•  Senior Pride Network ( Toronto, Ontario, Canada)

•  Senior Pride Network ( Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)

•  QMUNITY Generations ( Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)

•  411 Seniors Centre Society ( Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)

•  Association des Personnes Retraités Gaies ( ARC, Montréal, QC, Canada)

•  Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE, New York City, NY, USA)

•  National Resource Center on LGBT Aging (USA)

•  You're Not Alone, a project of PFund (USA)

•  The LGBT Aging Project (USA)

•  LGBT Aging Issues Network (LAIN, USA)

•  Transgender Aging Network (TAN, USA)

•  Old Lesbians Organizing for Change (OLOC, Houston, TX, USA)

•  Classic Dykes Online (USA and International)

•  National Elder Law Network (NELN, William Mitchell College of Law and the University of Kansas, USA)

Reading List

•  Golden Men: The Power of Gay Midlife [Amazon.com]

•  Lambda Grey: A Practical, Emotional and Spiritual Guide for Gays & Lesbians Who Are Growing Older
[ ChaptersIndigo.ca]

•  Men Like Us : The GMHC Complete Guide to Gay Men's Sexual, Physical, and Emotional Well-Being [Amazon.com]

•  Social Services for Senior Gay Men and Lesbians [Amazon.com]

•  Gay and Lesbian Aging: Research and Future Directions [ Amazon.ca]

•  Odd Girls And Twilight Lovers [ Amazon.ca]

•  Out of the Twilight: Fathers of Gay Men Speak [ Amazon.ca]