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Loading ...HHS announces resource center to aid gay seniors
10.22.2009 11:15am EDT
(Washington) The Department of Health and Human Services will establish a national resource center to help communities support and serve their lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) elders.
Through its Administration on Aging, HHS will award a single resource grant in the amount of $250,000 annually, depending on the availability of funds. According to HHS, the center will provide resources to LGBT organizations, as well assisting mainstream aging services providers in developing cultural competence in serving LGBT elders.“Despite the many advances our community has seen, LGBT elders face significant discrimination from senior care providers, including in places where we are most vulnerable, such as assisted living facilities and end-of-life care,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “As more and more openly LGBT people reach their later years, it is incredibly important to ensure that we are treated with dignity, respect and fairness. We applaud HHS for taking this important step on behalf of older LGBT Americans.”
HRC and Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE) host a collaborative forum on LGBT aging issues, available at www.hrc.org/issues/aging/. As part of the New Beginning Initiative, coordinated by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, SAGE has advocated for policy changes that would benefit LGBT elders. Earlier this month, the Administration on Aging issued the first-ever grant focused on LGBT aging to the Los Angeles LGBT Community Service Center.
“SAGE, the entire LGBT aging field, and all those who work with and care for LGBT older adults, are thrilled by this announcement,” Michael Adams, executive director of SAGE, said in a statement. “For too long, programs that serve LGBT older people have been ignored and shut out from most public funding, and there has been no federal funding to help mainstream aging services become educated about and sensitive to the unique needs of LGBT older adults. This resource center is a truly historic recognition of the needs of LGBT older adults across the country and will make a huge difference in the lives of so many seniors.”
I diffinitly believe we need to focas on the remainder of the older generation.
In portland the “retirement”homes denied many rights.1 older gay man with hiv is denied visits of lifelong friends.
Also they took away his wheelchair because they did not agrea with him using his legal medical weed. Leaving him with bed sores.So some kind of moderating could save all those who are “in care” from such abuse!
This is a remarkable move for the LGBT community,because it’s this generation of “elder” LGBT’s that paved the way for LGBT’s of today and tomorrow! We should applaud the HHS for this move, but we should also expect much more from our government for the elders of our community.
This means that the door’s slowly starting to open, and now it’s time to break it down!
This is significant and very good news. The fact is that there are significant numbers of LGBT people, incluiding most of the Stonewall generation, reaching or near the age regarded as defining us as “Senior Citizens”. Unfortunately, not only society in general, but the LGBT community as well, has neglected to consider our needs– including the right to be out and open as LGBT seniors and enjoy the friendship of LGBT people of our age and all ages.