Persuasive Essay On Lgbt Older Adults

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). As the baby boomer generation ages, the older adult population will increase from 12.8 percent to an estimated 19 percent in 2030. http://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/resources/aging.aspx Psychological service providers and care givers for older adults need to be sensitive to the histories and concerns of LGBT people and to be open-minded, affirming and supportive towards LGBT older adults to ensure accessible, competent, quality care. Caregivers for LGBT people may themselves face unique challenges including accessing information and isolation. While the LGBT civil rights movement had gained

Few aging services providers plan for, or reach out to, the LGBT community and few are prepared to address insensitivity or discrimination aimed at LGBT elders by staff or other older people. Fortunately, such attitudes are changing. Resources such as the federally funded National Resource Center on LGBT Aging have been created to provide training and tools to aging providers, LGBT organizations and LGBT older people themselves, ensuring that our community increasingly will be able to age with the dignity and respect we all

The study found that 82% reported having been victimized at least once and 64% reported experiencing victimization at least three times in their lives. The report notes: "The most common type of victimization is verbal insults (68%), followed by threats of physical violence (43%), and being hassled by the police (27%). Nearly one in four (23%) have had an object thrown at them, and one-fifth (20%) have had their property damaged or destroyed. Nearly one in five (19%) have been physically assaulted (i.e. punched, kicked, or beaten), 14% threatened with a weapon, and 11% sexually assaulted." The Aging and Health Report: Disparities and Resilience among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Older