SAGE Blog

National Nursing Home Week: Caring for LGBT Elders

This is a guest post by Hilary Meyer, Director of the National Resource Center on LGBT Aging.

Did you know? This week (May 12-May 18) is National Nursing Home Week! The theme for this year is team care. At SAGE, we believe it takes a team to deliver culturally competent services to LGBT elders, including those in nursing homes.

For this reason, SAGE’s National Resource Center on LGBT Aging trains thousands of providers across the country on cultural awareness of the particular difficulties that LGBT people face. These certified trainers are then able to provide trainings in their community to policy makers, services providers (including to nursing home staff) and other leaders.

LGBT older adults came of age in a time when there was tremendous discrimination and hostility toward LGBT people.  As a result, many LGBT older adults have concerns about whether they will be treated with dignity and respect in congregate residential settings, such as nursing homes.

Infographic: LGBT Health, Racial Disparities, and Aging—by the Numbers

Preview. Download the full infographic below

May is Older Americans Month, a time to honor elders’ contributions to our communities. The official site encourages all of us to show our support for Older Americans Month by unleashing the power of age in our community. For the month of May, we will feature a story every Wednesday relevant to LGBT older Americans.

Americans who are people of color, older adults and LGBT identified (referred to in this blog post as LGBT elders of color) often have unique needs because of the intersections of identities. LGBT elders of color are historically marginalized on multiple fronts and their needs are often under addressed in the mainstream aging field and in the popular LGBT rights movement.

To bring awareness to these challenges, in April SAGE released Health Equity and LGBT Elders of Color, a report that examines health disparities faced by LGBT elders of color, and offers policy solutions in 10 areas to address these challenges. You can download the report at sageusa.org.

Today, SAGE is supplementing that report with the release of LGBT Health, Racial Disparities, and Aging—By the Numbers, a striking infographic that illustrates the many health and wellness challenges faced by older adults who are people of color and/or LGBT. Some of the findings include:

• Among LGBT elders, aged 50+, 47% have a disability
• One quarter of transgender elders age 50+ are in poor health, and 22% could not afford to see a doctor
• Black people are 2X, and Latino people are about 1.5X more likely, than their White counterparts to have Alzheimer’s and other dementias
• American Indian/Alaska Native people have higher rates of heart disease and diabetes than other racial/ethnic groups

Download the infographic LGBT Health, Racial Disparities, and Aging—By the Numbers, today! Help raise awareness of the issues faced by LGBT elders of color by sharing it widely.

Beth Israel: Reaching Out to the LGBT Community

May 6^th-12^th is National Nurses Week and in honor we want to highlight the great work Beth Israel and Nurse Mary Simmons are doing for LGBT elders at The SAGE Center.

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It’s dinner hour at The SAGE Center in the Chelsea neighborhood. Several women call out to another to join them at their table. A man asks a young volunteer about the day’s vegetable. Another pours over The New York Times, lingering after his afternoon collage class. A few friends discuss the SAGE Singers.

SAGE Is a Communicator Award Winner!

SAGE is proud to announce that we have received a 2013 Communicator Award from The International Academy of Visual Arts (IAVA) for our website!

The SAGE website (sageusa.org) relaunched with a new, streamlined design in October 2012, offering visitors the latest information and resources on LGBT aging issues. The site was honored with a Silver Communicator Award (also known as an Award of Distinction) in the category of Websites - Charitable Organizations/Non-Profit.

Now in its 19^th year, the Communicator Awards is the leading international awards program recognizing big ideas in marketing and communications. With more than 6000 entries received from across the US and around the world, the Communicator Awards is the largest and most competitive awards program honoring the creative excellence for communications professionals.

Unleash the Power of Age

May is Older Americans Month, a proud tradition that shows our commitment to honoring the value that elders contribute to our communities. The official site encourages all of us to show our support for Older Americans Month by unleashing the power of age in our community. For the month of May, we will feature a story every Wednesday honoring the power LGBT elders possess.

Today’s post focuses on Joanne Borden, a WWII veteran, grandmother and transgender elder
who fiercely advocates for her community. Most recently, she is working alongside the Empire State Pride Agenda to raise awareness about the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) and bringing it over the finish line this legislative session.

Watch her powerful story here: 

StoryCorps: A Transgender Woman’s Journey from Hiding to “Walking in Love”

Alexis Martinez (left) and her daughter Lesley

Alexis Martinez grew up in a rough neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side in the early 1960s. She knew she was transgender from an early age.

Alexis (whose birth name is Arthur) struggled with her identity, as did her family. At 13, she came out as transgender to her mother. Alexis’ mother called the police, who laughed and told her, “You've got a fag for a son, and there's nothing we can do about it.”

As a result, Alexis joined a gang and “went as macho as [she] could be, to mask what [she] really was underneath.” 

Alexis has a daughter, who accepts her for who she is. Says her daughter Lesley: "You don't have to apologize. You don't have to tiptoe. We're not going to cut you off. And that is something that I've always wanted you to, you know, just know—that you're loved."

Married, Yet Denied a Greencard

April may be over, but we wanted to share one more story relating to the importance of marriage equality for LGBT older adults.  These stories are also part of our SAGE Story series. Do you have a story you would like to share? Tell us today!

Even though Matilde and Bronwyn are legally married in New York State and Bronwyn is a U.S. Citizen, Matilde is not recognized as such by marriage and must obtain a visa in order stay in the country. Their plight is a common one for LGBT couples - married or not. Watch as they tell their story.

Equality & Justice Day: Sending a Clear Message to Congress to Pass GENDA

Today's post is by Alli Auldridge, SAGE Policy Associate.

 

E&J Day 2012

This morning I boarded a bus at 6:30 am, along with SAGE constituents and fellow staff. We are traveling three hours from New York City to the capitol building in Albany for Equality & Justice Day (simply known as E&J Day). This annual lobbying event is organized by the Empire State Pride Agenda for LGBT New Yorkers—a time for rallies and workshops, networking with statewide advocates and meetings with legislators. SAGE advocates have attended E&J Day every year—indeed 2013 will mark constituent Rodney Adams' 12th year of participation!

 

This year, LGBT advocates of all ages are hoping to send a loud and clear message to elected officials: pass the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA). GENDA would prohibit discrimination based on gender identity or expression and offer uniform protections for transgender New Yorkers across the state. Recent GENDA campaigns by Housing Works, New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), the Empire State Pride Agenda and others have highlighted the personal stories of discrimination and bias experienced by transgender New Yorkers and increased the call for the passage of GENDA in 2013. All of us at SAGE are eager to join with other LGBT advocates and make our voices heard at E&J Day.

Stay tuned to SAGE's Facebook and Twitter pages for updates from Albany throughout the day!

Allen Matthews: Cancer Survivor of 26 Years

April is National Cancer Control Month. According to President Obama, "This month, we rededicate ourselves to securing better outcomes, reducing new cases, and advancing cancer research."  Read the President's full statement here.

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SAGE constituent Allen Matthews, 70, has been living with lung cancer for an astonishing 26 years. He attends the weekly Men’s Cancer Support Group hosted by SAGE in partnership with Cancer Care where he continues to inspire others with his story of survival and strength.

Cancer came in to Allen’s life literally with a bang. In 1987, Allen was hit by a car crossing one of Manhattan’s busy thoroughfares. Badly injured, he was rushed to the emergency room where doctors x-rayed him to determine the extent of his injuries. Allen describes the car accident as both a blessing and a curse because, though badly injured, this was the moment that doctors first discovered that he had a large tumor growing on his lung.

Marriage Equality: Veterans Face a Different Battle

During the month of April, SAGE will be featuring stories relating to the importance of marriage equality for LGBT older adults every Friday.  These stories are also part of our SAGE Story series. Do you have a story you would like to share? Tell us today!

Today, we feature two videos with different stories. Gary and Ose talk about their relationship, marriage and the issues surrounding Ose being a U.S. veteran. Denny Meyer, a previous contributor to the SAGE Blog, tells us about his issues being a vet and falling in love with his partner—who he met in the Philippines. What these stories have in common is the lack of benefits for veterans' partners—whether legally married or not.