About one in four older LGBT people have not disclosed their sexual identity to their healthcare providers due to fears of a negative reaction, according to a recent study conducted by the Gay Lesbian Equality Network (Glen).
‘Visible Lives’, launched earlier this month, calls for more support, education, and inclusion from the various Governmental, community and healthcare sectors. The report asks for more developed responses to the health, social needs and circumstances of older LGBT people in Ireland.
“As a society, from a political and economic standpoint, and as a community, we need to do something so that [older LGBT people] don’t suffer discrimination,” said Prof Agnes Higgins of Trinity College, author of the research.
The reluctance to ‘come out’ has impacted the way older LGBT people access health and social services, the report states. And as they age, LGBT people become increasingly concerned with their future security and health.
The key concerns raised by the report are a lack of services, information and education among healthcare professionals and workers.
According to the report’s survey, 31 per cent of older LGBT participants feel lonelier as they age. And only one in three of those surveyed believe that healthcare professionals have sufficient knowledge of LGBT issues.
‘Visible Lives’ puts forth several recommendations, including increased engagement with policymakers to ensure that existing, relevant Government policies regarding the elderly are inclusive of the needs and circumstances of the LGBT community.
It also calls for the Health Service Executive (HSE) and Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) to establish standards for the care of older LGBT people. This would particularly focus on nursing homes and residential care services, promoting understanding and tolerance in their services.
In the forward to the report, Minister of State for Older People Kathleen Lynch said: “The findings and recommendations… will inform progress of the broader agenda of enhancing the status and visibility of older people in Irish society and promoting the positive ageing of older people in Ireland – including LGBT people.”
Homosexuality was decriminalised in 1993, and in the last couple of decades younger LGBT people have been afforded the ability to live their lives in a more open context thanks to the efforts of the generations before them.
“And it was this generation that laid the foundations for such progress, and struggles with many others,” said Glen chair Kieran Rose, who spoke of the need to recognise that much of the older LGBT community remains “invisible” to the rest of society and in need of support.
According to the report, participants on average reported that they knew they were LGBT by the age of 20. Yet the study also showed that an overwhelming majority of those surveyed developed “survival” strategies to conceal their sexual identity, including withdrawal, emigration and living divided or ‘straight’ lives.
Brian Purcell, secretary general of the Department of Justice and Equality, noted that the label of ‘older person’ can “easily mask many other, important and defining personal characteristics”.
He said hat such qualities, including sexual orientation, are what differentiate people and their needs and aspirations.
Despite the previous and ongoing challenges that came to light, the research also showed the resiliency of the older LGBT community, which is helped by current external sources of comfort such as peer and familial support.
LGBT friendships were also shown to give strength to participants, as they reported being able to have complete freedom in such relationships.
Lord Mayor of Dublin Andrew Montague applauded the research as valuable insight for future policymaking, but also cautioned of the work that must continue.
“Even though society is changing, we have a long way to go,” he said. “‘Gay’ is still a term of abuse, and we need to challenge that.”
