Volume 2, Number 3 - June 2007
In This Issue: LGBT and Aging
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Elders are often invisible in discussions on aging. This issue of Aging Times highlights the intersections between age and sexual orientation.
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Elders
Sandra S. Butler, University of Maine
"Social workers must be leaders in eliminating both the subtle and blatant discrimination and oppression faced by current and future GLBT elders..."
LGBT and Aging Resources
As a reflection of the invisibility of LGBT Elders in aging, we are unable to identify any syllabi submitted to the Gero-Ed Center that infuse aging into a LGBT course, or LGBT issues into a gerontology course. We are eager for your submissions of resources, especially course syllabi, which infuse both aging and LGBT content. Please submit your syllabi or other teaching materials to sstpeter@u.washington.edu. The following resources on our Web site address the intersections between age and sexual orientation:
Aging and Sexual Orientation Bibliography (MS Word)
Faculty/Student Opportunities
Mark Freedman to Open Gero-Ed Track - Register Today
Freedman, nationally-renowned expert in civic engagement, is our keynote speaker. Registration is now open.
eLearning Summer Discount: $25 Off
Save $25 off the regular price by purchasing A Planned Change Model with the following coupon code at checkout: AGINGTIMES
Gero-Ed Center Renewed for Another 5 Years
Specialists Meet at CSWE to Review Resources for MAC Project
CDI Participants Complete 3-Year Program
Gero-Ed Center Staff Updates
Beginning with this issue, Aging Times is now bimonthly. We hope this better links you to the opportunities, curricular resources, and new programs of the CSWE Gero-Ed Center. Look for our next issue in August.
The 2007-09 Hartford Faculty Scholars were announced in April. We congratulate all awardees, especially those who have provided leadership in the Hartford curricular development initiatives:
Malitta Engstrom,
The University of Chicago
CDI Faculty Participant
Anna Faul,
University of Louisville
CDI Faculty Participant
Caroline Rosenthal Gelman,
New York University
CDI Faculty Participant
Cathy Tompkins,
George Mason University
Past SAGE-SW Faculty Coordinator
For More Information
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Elders
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals are a minority group that is largely invisible to society as a whole, and often to health care providers and social workers as well. NASW policy statements have made clear that social workers have a commitment to advance “policies and practices that improve the status of all lesbian, gay and bisexual people” (NASW, 2000, p. 197). Nonetheless, it is well documented that LGBT individuals, no matter what their age, often perceive health and social service systems as unwelcoming. A study by Brotman, Ryan, and Cormier (2003) revealed the types of negative reactions gay men and lesbians frequently face by service providers: “embarrassment, anxiety, inappropriate reactions, excessive curiosity, pity, condescension, ostracism, refusal of treatment, detachment, avoidance of physical contact, or breach of confidentiality” (p. 192). For LGBT elders, the situation is more severe, due both to widespread ageism and the invisibility of a cohort of individuals who learned in their younger years how to “pass” as heterosexual in order to avoid harassment. LGBT elders have years of practice at concealment.
Given this concealment and because most national surveys do not ask about sexual orientation and identity, it is very difficult to get an accurate count of the number of LGBT elders in the U.S. Estimates of the number of GLB individuals age 65 or older range from about 1 to 2.8 million, increasing to 2 to 6 million by 2030 (Cahill, South and Spade, 2000). The number of transgender elders is even more difficult to estimate, and only recently have efforts been made to do so ( Witten, 2002). While LGBT elders certainly face some distinctive challenges as they age, many approach aging with unique resiliency and particular strengths. For example, skills developed through the coming out process and the management of social perceptions of “difference” throughout life prepare LGBT individuals for society’s generally negative view of older people in a youth-oriented society. Nonetheless, gay and lesbian people do experience some obstacles in their later years not shared with their heterosexual counterparts. One such challenge is access to gay-sensitive services. There are a very small number of organizations whose mission is specifically to meet the needs of LGBT elders; they exist in large cities with relatively visible gay communities. Most mainstream aging organizations are not competent in addressing the needs of LGBT elders. Numerous myths serve to maintain this status quo and to keep these agencies from doing outreach or providing gay-sensitive services. Three such myths are: 1) “there aren’t any GLBT elders around here”; 2) “we’re open to anyone”; and 3) “no one has ever asked, so there is obviously no need” (Smith & Calvert, 2001).
Culturally-competent practice must include sensitivity to the needs of elders who have lived decades in a heterosexist, homophobic, and transphobic society. Social workers must be leaders in eliminating both the subtle and blatant discrimination and oppression faced by current and future LGBT elders through proactive policy changes at the organizational, state and federal levels. Accordingly, social work curricula must include content and competencies for working with LGBT elders and their families to enhance their health and well-being.
Dr. Sandra Butler is a professor at the University of Maine and a Hartford Faculty Scholar. She works closely with the University of Maine Center on Aging and has published in the areas of poverty, homelessness, welfare, older women, rural aging, and LGBT aging.
References
Brotman, S., Ryan, B., & Cormier, R. (2003). The health and social service needs of gay and lesbian elders and their families in Canada. The Gerontologist, 43 (2), 192-202.
Cahill, S. South, K., & Spade, J. (2000). Outing age: Public policy issues affecting, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender elders. Washington, DC: Policy Institute, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.
National Association of Social Workers (NASW). (2000). Social work speaks: National Association of Social Workers policy statement 2000-2003, (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
Smith, H. & Calvert, J. (2001). Opening doors: Working with older lesbians and gay men. London: Aging Concern England.
Witten, T.M. (2002). Geriatric care and management issues for the transgender and intersex populations. Geriatric Care Management Journal, 12 (3), 20-24.
Marc Freedman to Open Gero-Ed Track - Register Today
We are pleased to announce that Marc Freedman, a leader in the field of civic engagement and older adults, will be the keynote speaker at our popular Gero-Ed Track Kick-Off event on Sunday, October 28. As founder and CEO of Civic Ventures, Mr. Freedman spearheaded the creation of Experience Corps, which engages people over 55 in tutoring and mentoring elementary school students. He also helped establish the Purpose Prize, given to individuals over age 60 who direct their creativity and talent to address critical social problems. A frequent commentator in the national media, he is the author of both Prime Time: How Baby Boomers Will Revolutionize Retirement and Transform America and The Kindness of Strangers. More special events are currently being planned and will be announced in the coming months, so please watch your email and future issues of Aging Times.
Registration for the CSWE Annual Program Meeting (APM) is now open! Please be one of the first to reserve your spot at the conference and in the conference hotel, the Hilton San Francisco, to take advantage of early bird discounts. For more information on the CSWE Annual Program Meeting, please visit www.cswe.org/apm/.
eLearning Summer Discount: $25 Off
From now through August 31, the Gero-Ed Center is offering a $25 discount on A Planned Change Model: Preparing Gerontologically-Competent Graduates, our eLearning course. This valuable course gives you the tools to infuse gerontology throughout your curriculum. As one social work faculty commented, the resources are “helpful and focused,” allowing users “to customize this work immediately” – allowing you to develop competency-based courses individualized for your program.
To take advantage of this opportunity, simply purchase this course and enter the following coupon code at checkout:
Coupon Code: AGINGTIMES (case-sensitive; expires 8/31/07)
Price with code:
CSWE Members: $50 (regularly $75)
Non-CSWE Members: $70 (regularly $95)
Gero-Ed Center Renewed for Another 5 Years
The John A. Hartford Foundation recently awarded a $4,700,000 five-year grant for the renewal of the CSWE Gero-Ed Center. The Center staff thanks many of you who provided feedback on future directions for the Center. We are delighted to announce a new format for the Curriculum Development Institutes, a specialized gero content project for both BSW and MSW programs, an experiential learning project for BSW programs, and increased funding for student recruitment and leadership development. Year 1 will be devoted to intensive outreach to programs that have not yet had an opportunity to participate in the Hartford curricular initiatives and to faculty and students from underserved populations. The launching of new initiatives will be announced through the Aging Times and on the Gero-Ed Center Web site in the coming months. Outreach and consultation sessions will be held at the CSWE APM and BPD annual meetings. www.Gero-EdCenter.org
Specialists Meet at CSWE to Review Resources for MAC Project
The Resource Reviews project of the MAC Project began in June with three meetings of national committees of specialists in the fields of mental health, substance use, health, and aging. Group members included social work faculty, representatives from governmental agencies involved in research and dissemination, and other experts in the specialty areas.
The goal of the meetings was to define an agenda for social work education, practice and research in aging and the specialty areas. Each committee discussed the organization, content, and strategies for dissemination of the resource reviews. Each group provided feedback on areas in the literature to be addressed in the reviews and generated a wealth of existing research and curricular resources in aging and the specialty areas.
Committees will work to create specific guidelines for social work educators in terms of gerontology-related topics in the specialty areas and include supporting data for their inclusion into the curriculum. The reviews will also examine existing curricular resources and their usefulness to social work educators in increasing gerontological knowledge and competencies in the specialty areas.
We encourage social work faculty nationwide to send their current curricular resources for inclusion in this review (send to sdiwan@casa.sjsu.edu).
Find more information on the MAC Project and the Resource Reviews.
CDI Participants Complete 3-Year Program
Congratulations are in store for the 69 programs that have completed the three year Curriculum Development Institutes (CDIs). Over 90 percent of the 151 CDI faculty participants implemented strategies to infuse gero competencies and content into foundation curriculum and their programmatic structure. As a result of their leadership, new gero infused foundation course syllabi and other teaching materials, along with updated lessons learned, will soon be added to the Gero-Ed Center Web site. And warm thanks are extended to the 16 national mentors who provided guidance and support to CDI faculty during the curricular and organizational change process. In addition to positive outcomes identified in terms of common measures, many of the CDI participants have institutionalized sustainable changes and plan to collaborate in the future on dissemination of findings through conference presentations and articles.
Gero-Ed Center Staff Updates
The January 2007 implementation of the MAC Project brought about two exciting CSWE Gero-Ed Center staff changes. First, Shannon Dorsey, the former Gero-Ed Center Administrative Assistant, was promoted to Project Assistant for the MAC Project.
As a result of Shannon’s promotion, we were pleased to welcome Arya Karki as our new Administrative Assistant. She recently graduated from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia with a BA in Sociology.
In February, we said goodbye to Jeanie Hines, our former Program Coordinator, who took another position at the University of Washington. Currently, a temporary coordinator is filling the position, with a new Program Coordinator to be hired during the summer.