Are Older LGBT Australians Being Forgotten?

starobserver.com.au:

It’s 2022 and it’s never been a worse time to be an older person or indeed, to be getting older!And it’s a place that we are all going to be, eventually and yet, the level of shrug about the challenges that older Australians face is bewildering to many of us who are facing the prospect of ending up in these places in the next 20, 30, 40 years time.It’s especially tough for LGBTQI Australians who are already accessing home care or currently living in an aged care facility.

Not only do older LGBTQI Australians have to contend with all the challenges that heterosexual older Australians do, they have their own set of unique challenges to overcome.Nicky Bath, Chief Executive Officer of LGBTIQ+ Health Australia spoke to Star Observer about the distinctive challenges that the older members of our communities are facing. “LGBTQI older people have particular and unique needs.

This is due to historic and continuing experiences of discrimination, criminalisation, stigma, poorer health and wellbeing outcomes, and invisibility within the aged care system.

Older people who are trans and gender diverse and intersex people can face difficulty accessing their specific medical needs.