The first state survey of its older LGBTQ residents contains important information. Released November 25, findings of the "Survey of LGBTQIA+ Older Adults in California: From Challenges to Resilience" are based on the answers 4,037 older LGBTQIA+ adults provided earlier this year to various questions they were asked via an online form. The survey was requested by the California Department of Aging and conducted by UCSF and UC Berkeley. Openhouse, the LGBTQ senior services nonprofit in San Francisco, assisted with it. The survey had more than double the participation goal that state aging leaders had wanted to meet, as we first reported online.
There are several priorities that the report found that are worth highlighting. Many of these are not new; we've reported for years on the isolation many LGBTQ seniors experience, due to a variety of factors. And we've covered the importance of training for staff working in senior facilities. What's noteworthy is that these are listed as priorities in a state report and are factors that policymakers and lawmakers can take into account. We urge them to do so.
For example, the report states its first priority is to improve access, inclusivity, and safety of services for LGBTQIA+ older adults to promote healthy aging. Recommendations include exploring opportunities for culturally-responsive training and services by providing training for service providers that focuses on the unique needs facing LGBTQIA+ older adults, thereby increasing the number of LGBTQIA+ affirming providers, and providing services that address specific health needs and disparities, with enhanced access to suicide prevention and trauma-focused treatments.
The report stated that a second priority is to "increase social and economic support for LGBTQIA+ older adults." The recommendations include exploring opportunities for social and economic support through the following strategies: promote access to LGBTQIA+ affirming programs in order to enhance social and economic support; reduce isolation and strengthen LGBTQIA+ older adult networks; promote financial literacy training, employment support, and access to secure housing; and identify promising programs providing comprehensive mental health services to address stigma and discrimination.
While it's best if seniors can age in place in their own homes, that isn't always possible. If the time comes and LGBTQ seniors need to relocate to a retirement community or care facility, many are often hesitant to do so because of stigma and fears that staff and other residents won't treat them with dignity and respect. We covered a story last year in which a man tore down a Pride flag display at a senior facility in the East Bay. Unfortunately, the judge ruled that there was police misconduct in the case and dismissed the hate crime charge. However, the point is that hateful incidents still occur. Staff should be provided with adequate training that should be regularly updated.
A third priority in the report is to understand and address disparities among transgender and gender-expansive older adults and older adults of color. Recommendations are to explore opportunities to better understand and address disparities through the following strategies: promote training for service providers including specific standards of care necessary to address the challenges faced by transgender and gender-expansive older adults and older adults of color; promote language access to ensure services are available in the threshold languages; explore options to reduce barriers to services; and support anti-racist, community-based organizations that serve these populations.
Finally, the fourth priority is something we've advocated for the entire LGBTQ community: collecting sexual orientation and gender identity, or SOGI, data. This is also important for the LGBTQ senior community, as the report stated. In order to measure policy outcomes and improve data collection, the report recommends monitoring the impact of policy and programs by collecting data, including demographic information, sexual orientation and gender identity data; building relationships with diverse communities to help ensure representative data collection and inclusive policy development; and monitoring the impact that policy and programs have on individual health and wellbeing.
Caveats
One of the caveats with the report is that the vast majority of respondents were white (84%) and identified as gay or lesbian (86%). Most were also cisgender, with transgender women making up 2%, and transgender men comprising 1% of respondents. The report does note that "there was greater financial insecurity among transgender and gender-expansive respondents (39%) than cisgender respondents (24%)."
Food insecurity, defined as having enough money to buy nutritious meals, ranked higher for people of color (33%), compared to white respondents (18%). Not surprisingly, transgender people reported more food insecurity (32%) than cisgender respondents (20%).
These findings track with what has been reported over the years, that LGBTQ people of color and trans people tend to experience more discrimination, particularly in employment and housing. It makes sense that as they age, these communities would continue to experience issues such as food insecurity. Lawmakers should work to address these disparities — no one should go hungry — by finding creative solutions aimed at increasing the capacity of nonprofits that provide meals to seniors.
The report concludes with the fact that LGBTQ seniors are everywhere. "The results of this survey demonstrate that LGBTQIA+ people in California live across the state, in every census region, and represent a diversity of racial and ethnic backgrounds," it stated. "These findings indicate the importance of services, resources, and programs that help LGBTQIA+ older adults feel safe (e.g., safety from discrimination and stigma in doctor's offices, safety with caregivers, safety reporting abuse) and address this community's health needs to promote healthy aging among these communities."
As we prepare for an uncertain future with the return of President-elect Donald Trump and Republican majorities in both houses of Congress, it's imperative that those in local and state government work to enact as many of the priority recommendations set forth in the report as possible. Some, like staff training, have been ongoing for years, and should not cost that much money. Others will require resources. But our LGBTQ seniors deserve dignity and respect. If you're not a senior now, you will be one day, which is why this type of report is needed, as a baseline for future needs assessments and to track what are hopefully improvements in the coming years.
Never miss a story! Keep up to date on the latest news, arts, politics, entertainment, and nightlife.
Sign up for the Bay Area Reporter's free weekday email newsletter. You'll receive our newsletters and special offers from our community partners.
Support California's largest LGBTQ newsroom. Your one-time, monthly, or annual contribution advocates for LGBTQ communities. Amplify a trusted voice providing news, information, and cultural coverage to all members of our community, regardless of their ability to pay -- Donate today!