Visibility Matters
Caregiving and LGBTQ+ Older Adults By Sarah Bahnson, PCOA LGBTQ Community Liaison The US aging care system relies on both informal care and formal supports. Informal care typically includes spouses and children serving as primary caregivers for aging loved ones. Formal supports, conversely, include professional in-home and residential service providers. According to SAGE, LGBTQ+ older adults are twice as likely to be single, and four times less likely to have children. And nearly a quarter of LGBTQ+ older adults receive caregiving support from a friend, while many others find themselves aging alone and isolated. Sociocultural factors and laws have prioritized biological families in decision-making, often excluding partners and chosen loved ones. Similarly, LGBTQ+ coupes who are partnered are often unmarried because of legal statutes that outlawed marriage equality prior to 2015. The tragic result is that LGBTQ+ older adults fear discrimination from providers such that caregivers provide care in isolation. This leads to poorer physical and mental health outcomes—for care recipient and caregiver alike! Southern Arizona Senior Pride offers many services to address the unique needs of LGBTQ+ people, including assistance with advanced medical planning, visits for isolated or homebound people, support groups, and more. For information, visit soazseniorpride.org or call (520) 312-8923. Additionally, aging service providers benefit from developing ongoing cultural responsiveness training so that all staff are equipped to understand and serve this community. Best practices include: • Including sexual orientation and gender identity in nondiscrimination policies for clients and staff, and collecting this data on intake forms • Displaying visible symbols of inclusion in public spaces like waiting areas and group spaces, and on websites and marketing materials • Implementing LGBTQ+ specific programming designed to support the specific needs of LGBTQ+ older adults and their loved ones • Using open ended questions like, “Who is important to you,” or “Who will be coming to visit you?”
Aging with Pr i de Visibility Matters As LGBTQI+ people age and need supportive services to meet their aging goals, many of them question whether it is safe to share with their providers that they are LGBTQI+ due to stigma they have witnessed and experienced over their lifetimes.
The Visibility Matters training helps care providers gain the tools needed to create a safe place for LGBTQI+ people to be their authentic selves so that
providers can meet their unique needs. The training provides information about how to be more aware, sensitive, and responsive to LGBTQI+ older people and their families. Visibility Matters is an excellent training for long term care facilities, medical professionals, senior centers, in-home care providers, case managers, or anyone serving older people in Pima County. Visibility Matters offers three tracks: two-hour standard training, a three-hour LGBTQI+ dementia training, or a one- hour overview. All trainings are available virtually and in-person (depending on COVID-19 protocols) and are free of charge. To learn more or schedule a training, contact Sarah Bahnson at sbahnson@pcoa.org To register for a virtual community training visit VisibilityMatters.pcoa.org.
Page 28 | November 2021, Never Too Late
Pima Council on Aging
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