• Curtis M. Wong: SAGE LGBT Senior Center In New York City Will Be Nation's First
[Huffington Post, October 19, 2011]

New York City will soon be home to the nation's first full-time center for elderly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender residents, which is scheduled to open in January.

On Wednesday, the Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE) was awarded an "Innovative Senior Center" (ISC) contract by the office of Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the New York City Department for the Aging (DFTA) for the new project. The SAGE Center will be based in Manhattan but offer a "comprehensive array of services and support" to LGBT elders throughout all five boroughs.

• HIV/AIDS population aging; Older patients pose new challenges
[Sun Herald, September 30, 2011]

When Malcolm Coley was diagnosed with HIV, he began preparing to die.

The Baltimore man, a former heroin user who suspects he contracted the virus by sharing needles, packed his bags and moved to Washington to live his last days closer to family.

"I figured the end was near," he says.

That was 1988. More than two decades later, Coley, 54, is, in his words, "still hanging around." He traded drugs long ago for a healthful diet, owns his own home, works for a Baltimore nonprofit and volunteers as an AIDS educator, talking to students and adults about living with HIV.

As advances in treatment have turned what was once a virtual death sentence into a livable condition, the HIV/AIDS population is aging.

Nationwide, people older than 50 are the fastest-growing segment of that population. By 2015, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates, they will make up more than half of the total number of people who are infected.

• Plans for Spain's first gay OAP home [BBC, September 30, 2011]

In Spain, plans are well underway for the country's first ever old people's home for gay and lesbian pensioners.

Some activists say elderly homosexuals living in care are often forced 'back into the closet' by the intolerance of fellow residents.

• Meetings will take place around Australia next week to discuss aged-care services and provisions [Sydney Star Observer, September 23, 2011]

Ageing Minister Mark Butler will attend the meetings to hear older people's views on the recent Productivity Commission report, Caring for Older Australians.

Gerontologist and LGBTI ageing expert Dr Jo Harrison said it's important older LGBTI Australians take part.

"Minister Butler needs to hear from older people and carers in our community in their own words about their fears, aspirations, concerns and desires in relation to growing older and accessing aged-care services," she said.

"For too long, older members of our community have had to de-gay their homes when staff are sent to provide home support services or they have put off going into respite care because they feared their partner wouldn't be welcomed."

• Stonewall report: Older gay people at risk of loneliness [Pink News, September 12, 2011]

A YouGov survey commissioned by the charity found that older gay and bisexual men are three times more likely than heterosexual men to be living alone.

While nine out of ten older heterosexual people have children, the same is true for just over a quarter of gay and bisexual men and half of lesbians and bisexual women.

LGB older people are more likely to be single and are less likely to see their families regularly, the research found.

Studies have found that loneliness in old age is linked to depression and poor health.

In January, a group of charities including Independent Age and Age UK Oxfordshire said "intense" loneliness was linked to problems with the immune and cardio-vascular systems and the onset of Alzheimer's disease.

Ben Summerskill, chief executive of Stonewall, told the Observer: "This pioneering research confirms what we already knew intuitively, that there are hundreds of thousands of lesbian and gay people growing older without the same family and support structures that many straight people enjoy.

• Aging Back in the Closet [East Bay Express, August 17, 2011]

While McDonald's generation was the first to live openly and achieve equalities in civil rights, it's now experiencing what it's like to age in the health care system. And so far, the health care system's efforts to consider the particular needs of LGBT elders have been woefully inadequate. While California law prohibits discrimination against LGBT seniors in state-funded programs and services, McDonald and others like him still face subtle to outright discrimination. And while not many studies have been completed on the subject, evidence suggests this leads to health disparities.

But things are starting to change. National LGBT organizations like the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and SAGE (Services and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Elders) are working to promote LGBT senior rights, and have gotten groups like AARP and the American Society on Aging to consider this population in their efforts. The nation's first affordable housing development for LGBT elders, Triangle Square Hollywood, opened its doors in Los Angeles in 2007. A similar project is underway in San Francisco to build affordable housing for LGBT seniors. Meanwhile, in Santa Rosa, the construction of the first LGBT-specific retirement community with continuing care services is in its final stages.

• Action on ageing [Sydney Star Observer, August 16, 2011]

Australia has an increasingly ageing population. As we grow older as a nation, we must ensure that we are progressively recognising diversity and promoting inclusion, especially when it comes to aged care.

In a welcomed move last week, the Productivity Commission's Report into aged care highlighted the need to address the difficulties experienced by LGBTI elders in accessing aged care services.

In brief, the Commission identified that in order to improve the aged care sector, it is necessary to maintain a safe, inclusive environment and atmosphere within the residential aged care facilities, and provide for the recognition of partners in consultations and decision-making.

Of particular importance, was the Commission's mention that aged care facilities must be inclusive and non-discriminatory, regardless of whether the individual chooses to openly identify as LGBTI.

Issues regarding sexuality are not often included in public policy discussions on ageing. Older LGBTI couples, for example, have had to live their entire lives with no recognition of their relationship, having to submit to criminal sanctions, or at the very least social stigmas. Now these individuals and couples are being denied appropriate care because these historical legacies have not been properly addressed.

• Australia's 1st LGBT Retirement Village coming to Victoria [Same Same, August 12, 2011]

Australia is set to open its first retirement village for gay and lesbian residents in Ballan, Victoria.

A 120 unit complex is being built around 35 kilometers east of Ballarat.

Who can we thank for the "first-of-its-kind" development? Developer Peter Dickson, who has named the $30 million retirement village Linton Estate as haven for the over 55's LGBT community. The complex will boast an Indoor Heated Spa, Bar, Cafe, Library, Croquet Lawn, Tennis Courts and much more.

However this isn't the first time Dickson has attempted to start production on the complex. After being granted a planning permit from Moorabool Shire Council in 2008, the project unfortunately halted after a redesign delayed construction.

With the redesign complete, work is expected to start early next year, allowing interested parties to buy units off the plan in the coming months.

• 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.

• Alzheimer's might be warded off by healthy lifestyle [ CBC, July 19, 2011]

Up to half of Alzheimer's disease cases could potentially be prevented if people pursue education, quit smoking, exercise more and make other lifestyle changes, a new review suggests.

Researchers in the U.S. used a mathematical model to estimate the effect of seven risk factors for Alzheimer's disease: smoking, depression, low education, diabetes, too little exercise, and obesity and high blood pressure in mid-life.

• Falls linked to early Alzheimer's disease [USA Today, July 17, 2011]

Older people whose brain scans showed signs of amyloid - an early indicator of Alzheimer's disease - but who were otherwise healthy, had twice the risk of falls as people without brain amyloid, found a study being presented Sunday at the Alzheimer's Association's annual International Conference in Paris.

"To our knowledge, this is the first study to identify a risk of increased falls related to a diagnosis of pre-clinical Alzheimer's disease," says Susan Stark, an assistant professor of occupational therapy and neurology at Washington University in St. Louis. She says the results are consistent with other studies that show mobility problems in people who have very early Alzheimer's or mild cognitive impairment.

"It suggests that higher rates of falls can occur very early in the disease process," says Stark.

• 'Over-60s should be screened for Alzheimer's' [Telegraph, July 6, 2011]

Advances in the understanding of diseases like Alzheimer's, depression and schizophrenia mean experts can spot signs that a person may be at risk years before the conditions take hold.

A ten-minute computer test developed this year, which tests patients' memory and learning ability to identify more accurately than ever those most at risk from dementia, should be used to screen for the disease as early as 60, researchers said.

New treatments expected to be available within the next few years could even be used to prevent Alzheimer's from ever taking hold if detected early enough, it is hoped.

• Elderly Depression and How It Can Be Overcome [Huffington Post, June 27, 2011]

Bob Linscott, Assistant Director of The LGBT Aging Project in Boston was touched by this movement but feared that there was an absence of gay elders in the videos. "The one generation that can truly attest that it does get better wasn't represented," Linscott said, "Gay elders faced seemingly insurmountable discrimination and harassment decades ago and thankfully survived. Those stories needed to be included in this project too." So Linscott took the matter into his own hands and shot and edited his own video "It Gets Better: Wisdom From Our Gay Elders," which he added to the thousands of videos uploaded on YouTube. The video features poignant and funny stories from a number of Boston area LGBT seniors, two of whom speak about times they attempted suicide.

• Boston seniors featured in national Google commercial for "It Gets Better Project
[Bay Windows]

Bob Linscott, Assistant Director of The LGBT Aging Project in Boston was touched by this movement but feared that there was an absence of gay elders in the videos. "The one generation that can truly attest that it does get better wasn't represented," Linscott said, "Gay elders faced seemingly insurmountable discrimination and harassment decades ago and thankfully survived. Those stories needed to be included in this project too." So Linscott took the matter into his own hands and shot and edited his own video "It Gets Better: Wisdom From Our Gay Elders," which he added to the thousands of videos uploaded on YouTube. The video features poignant and funny stories from a number of Boston area LGBT seniors, two of whom speak about times they attempted suicide.

• Gay retirees: the next big untapped target market? [ Globe & Mail]

Despite their rising ranks and numbers, gay boomers and seniors are still a largely ignored demographic, but a lobby group for older Canadians is hoping to change that with a pink chapter launched this week.

CARP, Canada's largest association for the 45-plus, introduced the chapter to represent older gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered members. The group says LGBT seniors face unique challenges in housing, health care, the legal system and long-term care.

• Being overweight 'linked to dementia' [BBC]

Middle aged people who are overweight but not obese, are 71% more likely to develop dementia than those with a normal weight, according to research.

• NSW GLRL — aged care matters [Star Online]

The NSW [New South Wales] Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby (GLRL) is deeply concerned that the new draft residential aged care accreditation standards do not mention the particular issues faced by sex, sexuality and gender diverse people.

While the draft standards identify the differences among all people accessing residential aged care, noting a list of important cultural differences, they fail to specifically reference sex, sexual orientation and gender identity as an important difference.

• Study: Being 'housebound' linked to Alzheimer's in elderly [USAToday]

The research doesn't prove that being confined to the house causes dementia, and other factors could explain the association. Still, the findings raise questions about the possible cost of isolation, said lead investigator Bryan D. James, a postdoctoral fellow at Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center in Chicago.

"People who don't leave their home as much aren't engaging with their environment and meeting new people," James said. "They may not be using their minds as much."

But James and his colleagues noted that underlying brain disease may also explain the results - that is, people may not be getting out as much because the insidious workings of Alzheimer's or another form of dementia may affect the way one moves through the world long before they affect memory or speech.

• Canada's seniors: The doctor will see you now [ Globe & Mail]

Seniors are the fastest-growing segment of the population, with 4.8 million Canadians aged 65 and older. The figure that will double to 10.4 million in 2036 and by 2051, one in four will be older than 65.

But who will be their doctors?

Today, there are only 238 certified geriatricians in Canada, and experts say an additional 500 more are required, plus more family physicians to treat the elderly.

Inferior pay is partly the reason this field is suffering. Perhaps more important, though, is the way it attracts future physicians. Few medical students see the elderly at their best - in their own homes. Instead they are often tended to in a full-fledged medical crisis in an emergency room or chronic care ward.

The answer for the future may be the past. Reviving the old-fashioned house call is one way to entice more doctors - and improve the system.

• When it comes to senior suicide, don't be afraid to ask tough questions [ Globe & Mail]

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.

• Gene therapy for Parkinson's passes the ultimate test [New Scientist]

GAD is an enzyme that catalyses production of an inhibitory neurotransmitter called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Typically, people with Parkinson's produce too little GABA, and consequently have overstimulation in an area of the brain called the subthalamic nucleus. This overactivity in turn puts strain on neurons that produce another neurotransmitter - dopamine - which is vital for movement control. This helps explain some of the symptoms of Parkinson's, which include tremors, sluggish movements, rigid muscles and impaired posture and balance.

• Gay Man with Alzheimer's Eagerly Awaits Prop 8 Case Outcome [Edge Boston]

Derence Kernek and Ed Watson have been waiting to walk down the aisle for more than 40 years.

On the eve of Proposition 8 being declared unconstitutional last summer; Watson, 78, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Now the couple is eagerly awaiting a decision from the Ninth Court of Appeals before Watson can no longer recognize the man he has loved for more than four decades.

Kernek and Watson met on the campus of California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo in Sept. 1970. They both worked for Sprint and were transferred to Kansas City, Mo. They reluctantly relocated, but it was suggested they live as far away from others as possible. Attitudes of [the] time dictated this isolation, but the area was also rife with active Ku Klux Klan members.

"Safety was important, so we moved to the middle of nowhere, away from neighbors, co-workers and the KKK," said Kernek, 79.

• Ibuprofen may reduce risk of getting Parkinson's disease by a third [The Guardian]

Regular use of the painkiller and anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen may reduce the risk of Parkinson's disease by a third, a major study has found.

People who took the drug at least twice a week had a 38% lower risk of developing the condition than those who used other painkillers, such as aspirin, scientists said.