It's Time to Care for the LGBT Aging!

Mo Malkin, Executive Director, Verbena

It has been almost 40 years since Stonewall and the rise of the active Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) rights movement. Those who were part of the early movement are now becoming our community elders, and yet our services have not kept up with their needs. Where should LGBT retirees reside? What are their specific health care needs?

Are the social services set up for seniors culturally competent to work with LGBT seniors? How are their needs different from their heterosexual counterparts? On June 15-16, 2007 on the University of Washington campus, hundreds of providers, caregivers, community members and experts will be gathering at the First NW Forum on LGBT Aging to answer these questions and many more.

Friday, June 15 is a day for health and social service providers to focus on meeting the needs and facing the challenges of the older LGBT Community. Friday also features a great night of entertainment—“Celebrating a Community Coming of Age with Humor and Song”—with singer Holly Near and comedians Bob Smith and Karen Williams. Saturday, June 16 is a day for everyone to attend workshops and learn more about caring for the LGBT aging community. Saturday will also feature the opportunity for women to have breast and cervical exams at a Verbena mobile health screening where eligible low-income women can be screened for free. 

The Forum is a community collaboration and is being coordinated by Verbena. Other partners include Senior Services, the Pride Foundation, UW School of Social Work, GSBA and more. The event is sponsored by Aegis Senior Living, Living Care Senior Housing, The Pride Foundation, DSHS, Aging and Disability Resources, and Mercury Pharmacy. In addition to workshops each day, many community organizations and businesses will be part of the vendor fair, including: AARP, ElderHealth NW, Jewish Family Services, Seattle Prime Timers, Alzheimer's Association, Compassion and Choices of WA, and many more. More information on having a vendor booth at the event appears on the event website.

To register for the forum, please go to the forum website. For more information, or to purchase tickets just to the night of entertainment, please contact Verbena at (206) 323-6540 or email info@verbenahealth.org. For more information about a Verbena mobile health screening, please contact Houston at (206) 323.6540, ext. 3.


Links You Can Use

First National Survey of LGBT Boomers Highlights Unique Caregiving, Late-Life Planning Concerns

A new report offers an unprecedented snapshot of the concerns of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) baby boomers in the United States as they deal with current caregiving responsibilities and make plans for their own needs in later life. Out and Aging: The MetLife Study of Lesbian and Gay Baby Boomers was produced by the MetLife Mature Market Institute and the Lesbian and Gay Aging Issues Network (LGAIN) of the American Society on Aging. The report draws on a poll conducted by Zogby International using a random sample of LGBT Americans ages 40-61—the first such national survey of LGBT boomers anywhere in the world.

The full text of Out and Aging is available free of charge as a 20-page PDF on the home page of the Lesbian and Gay Aging Issues Network at www.asaging.org/lgain.