The Big Lottery Fund has awarded a grant of £421,964 over three years to a Glasgow based project helping older LGBT people.
LGBT Health and Wellbeing is a groundbreaking project working with older lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Lothian and Glasgow. The award comes from the Big Lottery Fund’s Investing In Communities funding stream.
Announcing the funding Maureen McGinn, Big Lottery Fund Scotland Chair, said: “Our aim is to support people and communities in greatest need and this project will do just that by helping older people to be less isolated and to look after themselves. This funding is an excellent illustration of how our funding is helping change the lives of thousands of people.”
LGBT Health and Wellbeing currently provides the LGBT Age befriending service for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people over 50. Older LGBT people have a lot of issues in common with other older people – while also dealing with a wide range of issues relating specifically to their LGBT identity.
Research shows however that older LGBT people are less likely to access services than other older people and more likely to be isolated and without family to call on.
Some older LGBT people may be facing challenges such as coming to terms with their sexual orientation or gender identity later in life, ageing with HIV or coping with the loss of a same sex partner. As one of the service’s clients explains,
LGBT Health and Wellbeing Director, Maruska Greenwood, said: “Meeting with a befriender can be a lifeline. I met someone likeminded and could talk about my partner and being a lesbian and that was accepted. This service really needs to exist.”
“This award is fantastic news. It means we can continue our vital support for older LGBT people in Lothian, and extend it to Glasgow, where there are no specific services for LGBT older people.
“Older LGBT people really have been overlooked. They have lived a great part of their life in much less liberal times, and are frequently reluctant to use support services as they fear not feeling welcome or accepted.
“The LGBT Age Scotland project will make a real difference to individuals who may be isolated or disadvantaged by providing them with one-to-one support, information and safe and a welcoming social space where they can be themselves without fear of prejudice or discrimination. The project will support individuals to maintain their independence, and build the natural supports in their lives.”
The project proposal was developed following extensive consultation with older LGBT people.
One older gay man said: “Isolation for older LGBT people is an extreme problem and only likely to get the worse. I feel that doors close to me because of my age and I feel very isolated because there are hardly any older people at community events such as Pride. I want to be with others like myself, to have a circle of friends who care for each other, as we can do and talk about things some people who aren’t gay might not feel comfortable with.
“I want open affirmation of my identity when dealing with public services. I don’t want to have to go back in the closet if I need support! I’ve found it too hard to be out to contemplate having to be cautious, to go back in the closet later in life. It’s scary to think I might not be able to be myself just because I’m getting older.”
The living and family situations of older LGBT people differ significantly from non-LGBT older people.
Research shows that older LGBT people have significantly diminished support networks when compared to the general older population:
• 2½ times are more likely to live alone
• are twice as likely to be single as they age
• are 4½ times more likely to have no children to call upon in times of need.
LGBT people consistently indicate an increased sense of vulnerability and significantly higher levels of concern around general ageing issues such as health, mobility, independence, housing and care needs, often due to expectations around discrimination. Not having children, or close bonds with biological family, creates more intense anxieties about the future.
Opportunities to access formal community groups and social networks diminish, as generic groups for older people can exclude older LGBT people, whilst activities targeted at gay people are too focused on younger age groups.
The diminished personal support networks of older LGBT people means an increased reliance on external services. Yet many have experienced discrimination in health and social care services in the past, thus fear of discrimination and fear of disclosure act as significant barriers and mean older LGBT people are five times less likely than non-LGBT older people to access services for older people.
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