Seniors

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Exclusive LGBTQ+ Senior Housing in Palm Springs

More than 39 million people in the U.S. are age 65 years or older including 2.4 million people who identify as LGBTQ+, according to the American Psychology Association.  As the baby boomer generation ages, the senior population will increase from 12.8 percent to an estimated 19 percent in 2030. Psychological service providers and care givers for older adults need to be sensitive to the histories and concerns of LGBTQ folks and to be open-minded, affirming and supportive towards LGBT older adults to ensure accessible, competent, quality care. As GBTQ people age, they find themselves facing unique challenges, including access to […]

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Married Lesbian Couple Sues After Senior Community Denies Them Housing

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports: A St. Louis County senior community has denied housing to a married lesbian couple who have been together for nearly four decades because of the couple’s sexual orientation, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court. Mary Walsh, 72, and Bev Nance, 68, both of Shrewsbury, say the Friendship Village senior living community, which has locations in Sunset Hills and Chesterfield, denied occupancy to the couple to live at the Sunset Hills community in 2016 because their relationship violated its cohabitation policy that defines marriage as “the union of one man and one […]

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Majority of LGBT Adults Concerned About Social Support and Discrimination in Long-Term Care

When it comes to aging-related concerns, older LGBT adults worry most about having adequate family and other social support to rely on as they age, discrimination in long-term care (LTC) facilities, and access to LGBT-sensitive services for seniors, according to a new AARP survey. Black and Latino LGBT adults report the greatest concern about future family and social supports, and greater worry about potential abuse in LTC facilities because of their race/ethnicity and sexual orientation/gender identity. The survey, “Maintaining Dignity: Understanding and Responding to the Challenges Facing Older LGBT Americans,” found gay men and lesbians have similar concerns about whether […]

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Free Advance Care Planning Workshops in April

Who will speak for you if you can’t speak for yourself? Live in accord with your beliefs and values. Fulfill the goals that have meaning for you. Enjoy your favorite comforts: Isn’t that how you should get to live right up to your last breath—even if a medical crisis means that you are unable to make decisions for yourself? In honor of National Healthcare Decisions Day and Week, April 15-22, My Care, My Plan: Speak Up, Sonoma County will hold several free workshops in Sonoma, Petaluma and Santa Rosa to encourage residents to speak up now about how they want […]

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Lesbian Who Was ‘Slapped and Told that Homosexuals Burn in Hell’ is Suing Her Care Home

A 70-year-old lesbian has been spat on, pushed over, slapped and told that “homosexuals will burn in hell” by residents in her care home. Marsha Wetzel moved into the Glen Saint Andrew Living Community in Niles, Illinois, after her partner of 30 years, Judy, died of colon cancer. She is now suing the home for failing to protect her from abuse, in a landmark case which could ensure that the Fair Housing Act protects LGBT people who are harassed by other tenants. (YouTube/lambdalegal) In a heartbreaking video released by her representatives, LGBT civil rights group Lambda Legal, the 70-year-old said […]

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2018 Brings Local LGBTQI Seniors Many Opportunities to Gather, Learn, Grow, and Much More

NEW SENIOR CENTER LGBTQI PROGRAMS:  With the help of an LGBTQI Giving Circle grant, Sonoma County Adult and Aging Services was able to provide the staff of three Sonoma County senior centers — Finley Community Center’s Senior Wing in Santa Rosa, Vintage House in Sonoma, and the Sebastopol Area Senior Center — with cultural competency training in LGBTQI aging issues in 2016-2017.  All three have since added new special programs for LGBTQI seniors including “Aging Gayfully” classes (see below).  The Sebastopol Area Senior Center has also scheduled an exciting February field trip to the GLBT History Museum in San Francisco as well as committed to […]

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Factors Affecting the Health of Older Sexual and Gender Minorities Highlighted in ‘LGBT Health’

A special issue of LGBT Health includes the latest research, clinical practice innovations, and policy aimed at addressing disparities and enhancing healthcare for older LGBT populations. A collection of informative and insightful articles that contribute to the understanding of factors that affect the health of older gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Americans is published in LGBT Health, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The special issue is available free on the LGBT Health website. Guest Editors Judith B. Bradford, PhD and Sean R. Cahill, PhD coordinated this special issue of LGBT Health. Included is an article entitled […]

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SeniorAdvice.com Names Top LGBT-friendly Senior Living Communities in America

SeniorAdvice.com, one of the nation’s top senior housing referral services, has released an article on the best fifteen thriving senior living communities for LGBT seniors. The company recognizes that the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) senior community is currently a very important part of the American population, and that the struggle for resources and housing can sometimes be difficult. According to the American Psychological Association, “more than 39 million people in the U.S. are age 65 years or older including 2.4 million people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT). It is estimated that as the baby […]

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LGBTQ Seniors Meetings Info and Support

All LGBTQ seniors are welcome to attend the “Aging Gayfully” classes at Finley Senior Center in Santa Rosa (Wednesdays 10 am – noon) and Sebastopol Area Senior Center (Wednesdays 2:30-4:30 pm).  While SRJC classes are officially cancelled this week, I am still meeting with those who feel the need to connect with their peers and be supported during this challenging time. Vintage House in Sonoma is “closed until further notice” (probably due to power outages) so I may not be able to hold my “Aging Gayfully” class there this Thursday morning and we are still waiting to see if the […]

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Aging Gayfully – A Legacy Opportunity

Many of us in our 60’s or older are feeling that our community has moved on without us.  While we were stuck with having to choose between “lesbian” or “gay,” “butch” or“femme, a whole new vocabulary is evolving (and our acronym expanding!)  to describe an ever-expanding range of sexual preferences and gender identities.   Many LGBT youth have also reclaimed the umbrella term “queer” that we who lived in less-accepting times grew to hate.   Also meet-ups, websites, and on-line social media options catering to a wide range of LGBT interests have replaced the smoke-filled bars that were often our […]

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