Lifelong Access Libraries Blog

How can library programs and services address this and other issues that GLBT community members face as they age?

This New York Times article  reports, “Elderly gay people[...] living in nursing homes or assisted-living centers or receiving home care, increasingly report that they have been disrespected, shunned or mistreated in ways that range from hurtful to deadly, even leading some to commit suicide.”

One response from the GLBT community has been to create retirement and assisted facilites specifically designed for GLBT older adults. A NY Times article on niche retirement communities  noted, Retirement communities that cater to the elderly gay and lesbian population could prove to be one of the more popular niches in coming years.” A Seattle Times  article reports on a a group of lesbian women have pioneered “a  self-planned and affordable community for women — especially lesbians — who want to grow old together on their own terms.”

The New York Times article also provides the following links for more information on GLBT aging issues:

   National Gay and Lesbian Task Force: Aging

- ‘Making Room For All’

- ‘Selling Us Short’

- ‘Outing Aging’

American Society on Aging

UCLA School of Law: Demographic Reports on the Gay Population

LGBT Aging Project
A Boston group that provides cultural competency trainings

Senior Action in a Gay Environment