GVASex
Dear GGA, Lesbian and gay seniors (those over age 60) probably number over 3 million in the United States, and with the maturation of the baby boomer generation, this number is likely to increase to 6 million by the year 2030. To their credit, seniors in our community have been toughened by years of homophobia and have been found to be more resilient than their straight counterparts. With better coping mechanisms in place, they’re able to roll with the punches life swings at them—at least those that have survived to count themselves among the fortunate. As we know, LGBT people have higher rates of suicide, substance abuse, and victimization to violence, so it may be that the resilience we’ve seen is really those who are out and tough enough to have made it to their golden years. And being older and LGBT is by no means a piece of cake. The tough skin formed by years of heterosexist rule may be subjected to even tougher times than in youth. LGBT seniors face medical, social, financial, and emotional stresses that may far exceed the average person’s woes. Many of the health concerns of our senior population are similar to everyone else’s: heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure. Every LGBT senior should have a health care provider and undergo regular check ups beginning at age 50. Routine checkups may consist of blood tests for cholesterol and other lipids, a detailed health interview, a routine EKG, and cancer screening (colon, breast, prostate, and cervical). If you’re from a family where first degree relatives have any medical illnesses whatsoever, plan on seeing your health care provider even sooner. Certain health conditions are more common in LGBT people in general, so then as we get older, these conditions may become of a problem and more and more LGBT seniors may acquire them. It’s not so much because we’re trendy people, it’s simply because we have different lifestyles that change our risk for different diseases. So in general, in the United States, HIV affects gay men more frequently, and as people living with HIV/AIDS age, their immune systems become more prone to the disease. In fact, people over 50 make up 10% of all AIDS cases, and this age group tends to fall sick to the ravages of AIDS more quickly, even if they’re treated for HIV. Also, gay men are more likely to develop anal cancer as they age. I would suspect that, with more people in our community smoking we’ll see higher rates of lung cancer and possibly heart disease too, but no one has done the study to figure that out yet. Among lesbians, there may be higher rates of breast and ovarian cancer because we’re less likely to have ever given birth. Also, lesbians overall are more likely to be obese, which puts them at greater risk for these cancers but also heart disease and breathing disorders. It is in old age that many of these lifestyle differences will show themselves as health risks, although routine screening and regular checkups may offset some of these risks. But if we are to be more vigilant with our health, then who are we going to rely on to make sure we’re being adequately examined? Gay and lesbian elders are twice as likely as everyone else to live in isolation. This is because more than three-fourths of us have never had children, have never had strong social contacts, or have been isolated from our immediate family because of homophobia. The fear of isolation and rejection from homophobic friends, relatives, and health providers can increase stress and depression. This is especially true of those who are closeted and are not part of the LGBT community. Not being out to our health care providers will only worsen our isolation and leave many health and social issues unaddressed, but many seniors fear that their doctors will leave them if they come out. There have been horror stories of couples together for years who are forced apart in their old age as they become less able to care for themselves and fight for their rights. Indeed, long term housing and care is more of a concern for our community, and it’s something that we’re just beginning to address through LGBT community housing and services. Residential care facilities and nursing homes may not recognize a same-sex relationship and therefore refuse to house loved ones together. If a loved one falls ill or becomes mentally incapacitated, straight married people have the fortune of hospital visitation rights and having their spouses make their health decisions for them. There aren’t any legal guarantees that a same-sex partner will be able to visit them or make health care decisions on their behalf. Also, the loss of a long time partner can be more devastating if there are no family supports, and it can lead to more stress without the financial and property assurances that marriage affords straight folks. Imagine living with your partner for most your life and being forced out after they pass away! The system just adds insult to injury. And without spousal survivor benefits, LGBT elder partners may be forced into homelessness. Fortunately in California, we have more rights as registered domestic partners than in most states thanks to assembly member Carole Migden’s AB25 bill. If you’re in a relationship, all you need to do is go to the website on registration listed below to register. But it doesn’t provide protection for a lot of the health and legal concerns that elderly LGBT people face. Hopefully soon, we’ll have all the property, financial, parental, and legal rights that married people have. Known as the Domestic Partners Rights and Responsibilities Act of 2003, bill AB 205 has passed through the state legislature and is on its way to Gray Davis’ desk. We need to let him know that many Californians support this bill that is not only good for the LGBT community, it is absolutely crucial for the livelihood of many of our seniors. Visit the Equality California site for more details on what you can do to help this landmark legislation (the site is listed below). Short of this bill passing, what can LGBT seniors do to protect their health related rights? Here’s a checklist of things to get and do: 1. Contact a lawyer or see a service agency to set up personal partnership agreements and living wills to deal with property and asset issues. 2. A support trust, life insurance, or an annuity can take the place of survivor or accidental death benefits. 3. A health care proxy form should be filled out to appoint one’s partner to make health care decisions on one’s behalf in the event of mental incapacitation. 4. Establish advance directives to decide what you would want to have done in the event of life-threatening or mentally incapacitating conditions. 5. Establish a durable power of attorney to get rid of pesky family members who show up after years of estrangement, wanting to take over your care and wanting to leave your partner out of the picture. 6. Make sure you have a health care provider who is comfortable discussing your sexuality and with whom you are comfortable. It’s their job to coordinate a lot of the items on these legal checklists! Most importantly, discuss with your provider all the issues you now know to be important for getting the best care possible. Bring along this article and let them know that you are not just the run-of-the-mill geriatric patient and that you have particular needs to be met! Joining a group like Lavender Seniors of the East Bay will put you in touch with the best resources and you’ll find a strong source of social support, too. The NGLTF’s Aging Initiative http://www.ngltf.org/pi/aging.htm Lots of links on LGBT aging! http://www.virtualcity.com/youthsuicide/links9a.htm Lavender Seniors of the East Bay http://www.lavenderseniors.org/ American Medical Directors Association: article on gay elders http://www.amda.com/caring/november2002/gayelders.htm California’s Domestic Partnership Registry http://www.ss.ca.gov/dpregistry/ Carole Migden’s AB26 Domestic Partnership Fact Sheet http://www.boe.ca.gov/members/migden/issues/ab26FACT.htm Equality California and Information on AB205 http://www.eqca.org/ |
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