Going back in the "Closet"

Older people face many challenges and the biggest one is their health (Neysmith, 2003).  As people age their ability to do daily activities decrease which may require a certain amount of care necessary to go about their day (Neysmith, 2003).  This leads to their biggest health care problem which is long term care for when an older person can no longer take care of themselves (Neysmith, 2003).  Some family members can fulfill these needs but may require some relief and long term care can be quite costly (Neysmith, 2003).  “Programs get targeted to certain groups and thus are not available to those who do not meet categorical definitions” (p.187 Neysmith, 2003), which can be a big problem in meeting the needs of not only older people but older LGBTTQ* people.  As my last blog stated LGBTTQ* people have different health care needs which are not being met due to the lack of communication between doctor and patient of personal information for fear of discrimination.  Long term health care is an even bigger problem for LGBTTQ* people and can even lead them to go back into the “closet” (StuMaddox, 2009).

The LGBTTQ* people who are facing this very issue today are the ones who went through much oppression and discrimination and fought hard to be able to come out and for equality (Brotman and Cormier, 2003).  Their past experiences were harsh ones and with the memories of the fear they had of people knowing their sexual orientation may explain why it can be so hard for them to be honest with a care provider.  Even in a progressive day like today discrimination is still there; a focus group of 200 lesbian and gay people including their families in Canada found explicit homophobia towards older gay and lesbian people (Brotman and Cormier, 2003).  Because of this when an LGBTTQ* person enters a long term care facility they may feel the need to hide their same-sex relationship and their sexuality all together (Brotman and Cormier, 2003).  Some experiences of people in the focus group were the inability to have their same-sex partner share a room and even hold hands in the television room (Brotman and Cormier, 2003).  This invisibility can cause care providers to overlook their own specific needs and issues and not only that but there is even a general reluctance for care providers to bring up and discuss these issues (Brotman and Cormier, 2003).  An older person’s unwillingness to divulge certain information and a care provider’s lack of concern for these issues is almost like a circular conversation that doesn’t get anyone anywhere.  Then there is the issue of ageism especially within the LGBTTQ* community itself which values beauty and youthfulness (Brotman and Cormier, 2003).  The communities efforts have gone so much into the youth and have hardly touched the older population (Brotman and Cormier, 2003) so with no one to turn to they may see going back in the “closet” as their only option.  None of this is sounding hopeful so far, there must be something that is being done to help this population that is in dire need of assistance.

There may not be much yet as far as policy in long term health care but there are groups that help support the older LGBTTQ* community.  In Windsor Ontario they have something called 50+Proud which offers support to the older LGBTTQ* community to interact with one another and also provide help for issues relating to health, financial, social, and any other issues they may face (Winsor Pride, 2010).  The Vancouver Qmunity Generations also offers the same type of services and also focus on changes for older queers in residential care facilities, assisted living centers and senior centers (2011).  They also offer training to professionals such as home support workers, care aids, medical doctors, social workers and others to educate them in caring for older LGBTTQ* people (Qmuinity, 2011) which may be a big step in providing the changes in the system that are needed for the older LGBTTQ* community to feel safe and be honest in a long term care facility.  Right here in Winnipeg the Four Rivers medical clinic on Broadway offers a Gay Men’s Health Clinic with a doctor who specializes in gay men’s health (Gay Men’s Health Clinic, 2010) this is definitely a positive thing for gay men but of course it would be even better if there was a clinic specializing for all who identify with LGBTTQ*.  Not only that but the Rainbow Resource Centre which promotes LGBTT* visibility and focuses on safety in the community’s health care was founded at the University of Manitoba which I am especially proud of (Rainbow Resource Centre, 2011).  This goes to show that a small student group can lead to something bigger and if we work together and help those less fortunate than us then maybe we can make a difference too.

Peace N Love

Brittany

References:

Brotman, S., Cormier, R. (2003). The Health and Social Service Needs of Gay and Lesbian Elders and Their Families in Canada. The Gerontological Society of America, 43:2, 192-202.

Gay Men’s Health Clinic. (2010). Retrieved November 15, 2011 from http://www.gmhc.ca/index.html

Neysmith, S. (2003). Caring and Aging: Exposing the Policy Issues. Retrieved from http://books.google.ca/books?hl=en&lr=&id=A-C2_Z1Q6a4C&oi=fnd&pg=PA182&dq=%22Caring+and+aging+Exposing+the+policy+issues%22+Neysmith+S&ots=zGdC1CASad&sig=ucRZH0dKyHcIrnofsrIWkhCe1kI#v=onepage&q=%22Caring%20and%20aging%20Exposing%20the%20policy%20issues%22%20Neysmith%20S&f=false

Qmunity. (2011). Older Adults. Retrieved November 15, 2011 from http://www.qmunity.ca/older-adults/

Rainbow Resource Centre. (2011). About RRC. Retrieved on November 15, 2011 from http://www.rainbowresourcecentre.org/about-rrc/

StuMaddux. (2009, October 16). NEW: LGBT Elders go back into the closet to survive [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fV3O8qz6Y5g

Windsor Pride. (2010). We’re Gay…and Gray! Let’s Enjoy Life. Retrieved November 15, 2011 from http://www.windsorpride.com/NoFeed/were-gayand-gray-lets-enjoy-life.html