SAGE and HRC Applaud Obama Administration

The Administration on Aging (AoA) today announced that it would release important new guidance that empowers AoA-funded aging providers to consider lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) older adults as a population of “greatest social need”—paving the way for increased services that can significantly improve their health and well-being. The Human Rights Campaign and Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE) partnered to urge AoA to provide this guidance.

"SAGE applauds this critically important step taken by the Administration on Aging to recognize that LGBT older people have acute needs and to ensure that services are available to meet those needs," said Michael Adams, Executive Director of SAGE. "We look forward to working with the Administration on Aging to continue to improve the availability of appropriate services to LGBT elders across the country."

“This step brings much-needed attention to the unique needs of LGBT older adults, and the urgent actions we must all take to preserve their dignity,” said HRC President Chad Griffin.  “AoA’s actions today are a crucial step toward ensuring that this generation has equal access to the services and resources that they deserve.  HRC applauds AoA for its leadership, and we will look forward to working with them through implementation.”

The FAQ guidance clarifies that the current definition of “greatest social need” in the Older Americans Act—the country's leading vehicle for funding and delivering services to older people nationwide—allows communities to identify populations in their service area that experience isolation for cultural, social or geographic reasons.  The guidance provides specific examples of these populations, including increased need based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

LGBT older adults are at an increased risk for social isolation, experience poor health and health access, and face higher poverty rates than other seniors. Despite this increased need, this group is less likely to seek federal assistance and healthcare due to actual and perceived discrimination.  This FAQ guidance allows the aging networks that serve LGBT older adults and receive AoA funding to consider this vulnerable population as one with a “greatest social need.”  This designation will encourage Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) to include LGBT older adults when prioritizing funding, engaging in outreach, evaluating unmet needs and collecting data.

This announcement is the latest action taken by the AoA to address LGBT elders’ unique needs. In January 2010, SAGE received a historic grant from the Administration on Aging to establish the National Resource Center on LGBT Aging (lgbtagingcenter.org), the country’s only technical assistance resource center aimed at improving the quality of services and supports offered to LGBT older adults. With a wealth of multimedia resources for aging providers, the National Resource Center will be a key resource for AAAs as they implement the guidance.

• Read the announcement from the Administration on Aging: [URL]
• Learn more about the Older Americans Act and LGBT older adults: www.sageusa.org/oaapolicybrief
• Read HRC’s Issue Brief on aging issues: www.hrc.org/resources/entry/hrc-issue-brief-aging

Improving the Lives of LGBT Older Adults report

Earlier this year, Services and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, & Transgender Elders, or SAGE, and the Movement Advancement Project, or MAP, released "Improving the Lives of LGBT Older Adults" in partnership with the Center for American Progress, the American Society on Aging, and the National Senior Citizens Law Center. The report provides an overview of LGBT elders' unique needs and the policy and regulatory changes that are needed to adequately address them.

To follow up on that work, SAGE, MAP, and CAP have developed 12 briefs that provide more information on the issues raised in the report.

Boy Butter's Eyal Feldman Presents $1,750 Check to JHA

On Monday, Sept. 20, entrepreneur Eyal Feldman (pictured right) - the creator of Boy Butter brand personal lubricants - presented a check for $1,700 at the Jewish Home for the Aging in Los Angeles to the JHA's Walk of Ages chair Shelly Markman (pictured left). The money was raised during a 6-mile marathon swim that Eyal completed by himself across Israel's largest freshwater lake, the Sea of Galilee, on July 15. The swim took 3.5 hours. The other half of the money raised was donated last month to SAGE, Services and Advocacy for Gay Elders.

*photo credit: Aaron Saltzman

Boy Butter's Eyal Feldman Presents $1,750 Check to SAGE

Last month, Eyal Feldman, the NY-based founder of Boy Butter products, swam across Israel's six-mile (10km) Sea of Galilee, the largest body of water in the country, to raise money for two charities, the Jewish Home for the Aging and SAGE (Seniors Active in a Gay Environment). Last Wednesday, Aug. 11, Eyal presented a check for $1,750 to SAGE's Executive Director Michael Adams.

Improving the lives of gay elders

"Improving the Lives of LGBT Older Adults" was released in March 2010 by MAP and Services and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Elders (SAGE) in partnership with the American Society on Aging, the Center for American Progress, and the National Senior Citizens Law Center. An abbreviated version of the report was released earlier today.

Improving the lives of gay elders

A new report available from MAP and SAGE, Improving the Lives of LGBT Older Adults, shows that contrary to stereotypes, LGBT elders are more likely to live in poverty, face social and community isolation, and lack appropriate health care and long-term care.

The report examines the unique barriers and disparities faced by LGBT elders. It also offers detailed and practical solutions, providing a roadmap for LGBT and aging advocates, policymakers, and anyone interested in ensuring that all Americans have the opportunity to age with dignity and respect.

SAGE receives grant to create nation's first and only national resource center for LGBT elders

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and the Administration on Aging last week awarded national SAGE (Services & Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Elders) a three-year, $900,000 grant to create the nation's only national resource center on LGBT aging.

The National Technical Assistance Resource Center for LGBT Elders will assist communities across the country in their efforts to provide services and supports for older LGBT people. The Resource Center will provide training to aging service providers and LGBT agencies nationwide, and will offer critically important educational tools to LGBT older people. - via The Center

"The creation of a National Technical Assistance Resource Center for LGBT Elders is a monumental step forward for the LGBT community," said Michael Adams, Executive Director of SAGE.

Outing Age 2010 presents issues facing gay elders

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and SAGE (Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders) today jointly released Outing Age 2010: Public Policy Issues Affecting Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Elders, an update to the groundbreaking Outing Age report issued in 2000.

Like its predecessor, Outing Age 2010 presents an in-depth look at public policy issues and challenges facing millions of aging LGBT people in the United States. The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of Colorado runs the SAGE affiliate in Denver and will be using this report in its work with older LGBT adults in Colorado.

Dinner and a movie for Denver's GLBT elders

A dinner and movie for GLBT elders will be provided Thursday, February 26, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., at the GLBT Community Center at 1050 Broadway in Denver. Enjoy a free, healthy cooked meal followed by a free viewing of “King Corn,” a documentary about how the modern U.S. food industry is dominated by corn and the impact of corn on people’s health.

The event is sponsored by Gay And Gray In The West and SAGE (Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders). RSVP at 303-733-7743 Ext. 102.

- via LaGente Unida Newsletter