Long-term care facility encourages LGBTQ acceptance, inclusion
A five-second scene in “Gen Silent, the LGBT Aging Documentary” shows an oval-faced man in a chestnut brown turtleneck perched in front of a table a few shades darker.
On top of the table is a collection of vibrantly painted vases sitting behind two framed pictures — one is retro-toned and shows a deep-hued man wearing thick-lensed aviators resting his head on his palm; the other, black-and-white, of a fair skinned man in a suit with a blank stare. “If I wasn’t the only person responsible for Alexander, I would’ve ended my life,” said the man in the chestnut brown turtleneck. “Gen Silent,” a documentary about LGBTQ adults in senior care facilities who go back into the closet to avoid a hostile care system, was screened at Insight Memory Care Center on April 26.
The center, which provides memory and cognitive care for families living with dementia, slated the documentary as part of its training for professional caregivers and their families.
Insight Memory was founded in 1984 by a palliative care nurse who wanted to address the dearth of resources and support available for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease.
