Just 8 Days ago, San Diego hosted the world’s largest LGBT health issues conference. The key issue? The challenges faced by the aging LGBT population. How would you feel to age alone? Without anyone there to care for you, take you to the doctor, or just support you. That’s how the three million LGBT seniors currently living in the United States feel. The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender population of the US faces significant discrimination, which cuts them off from support, especially as they age. Not only that, but because of early alienation from their families or because they often don’t have children, the familial support networks for the aging LGBT population are limited.
The biggest problem? Well, according to Seth Kilbourn, the director of San Francisco’s Open House, which provides housing for the aging LGBT in the city, it’s quite simple. Discrimination against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender populations affect their quality of care when they age! The primary goal of Open House is to create a comfortable and safe environment where the LGBT population can age peacefully, by training the staff. Through this, Open house hopes to change the culture of long-term care and create that support network that LGBT often cannot find in their own homes or communities.
Aging and Declining health clearly poses a real problem for the LGBT community, because of how the outside community looks on at them. It was if society has labeled homosexuality as a “taboo”, something that should be feared and avoided. It’s no wonder that the doctors aren’t willing and ready to help the LGBT population. The Open House has the right idea. Proper care for the LGBT community ultimately begins with acceptance.
Source: http://www.kpbs.org/news/2010/sep/22/san-diego-hosts-worlds-largest-meeting-addressing-/
