Aging issues can be tougher on gays
By Tom Watkins, CNN, March 17, 2010
Last Christmas, Missouri State Highway Patrol Cpl. Dennis Engelhard was putting flares near a minor accident on a snowy road in Eureka when he was hit by a car and killed.

"I'd had a premonition about it," said Kelly Glossip, 43, Engelhard's domestic partner of 15 years. The openly gay couple had discussed what might happen if Engelhard were to die in Missouri, a state that does not recognize same-sex partnerships, he said.

"He had faith in the system and told me not to worry about it," Glossip said from his home in suburban St. Louis. But now Glossip, who works only part time in a billing office because of back problems and who supports his 17-year-old son, is worried and angry. The state would have given a pension to the wife of any officer killed on the job but has no such provision for domestic partners, Glossip said. "I'm basically on my own," he said.

  Seniors in the Spotlight
By Karen Taylor, Metro Weekly, March 18, 2010
It's been another big news week for LGBT aging. An Associated Press story released Monday on coming out late in life; the SAGE/Movement Advancement Project report entitled "Improving the Lives of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Older Adults"; and a significant LGBT presence at the National Council on Aging/American Society on Aging's annual conference -- the largest conference of aging professionals and policymakers in the country. There's a reason for this attention. Our nation is aging, and the LGBT community is aging along with it. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force estimates that between now and the height of the aging boom, there will be between 2 and 7 million LGBT older adults in the United States.

  Medicaid and Social Security changes urged to help gay seniors
By Rex W. Huppke, LA Times, March 17, 2010,
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender senior citizens face myriad social and financial problems, and lawmakers could help them by altering Social Security and Medicaid rules, according to a national report being released Wednesday.

The report, prepared by Services and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Elders, or SAGE, has been endorsed by major mainstream aging groups, including AARP and the American Society on Aging.

It calls on federal and state lawmakers to consider ways to legally recognize same-sex relationships so aging partners in a committed relationship can have access to the same support systems that benefit heterosexual seniors. That would include Social Security survivor benefits and the rights of same-sex partners to make medical decisions for each other.

  Gay seniors come out late, start second lifetime
By Matt Sedensky
Increased awareness and acceptance of varied sexualities and gender identities has led Americans to come out far younger, as early as middle school. A less noticed but parallel shift is happening at the other end of the age spectrum, with people in their 60s, 70s and 80s coming to terms with the truth that they are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.

While no one tracks the numbers of the elderly who come out, those who work with older adults say the trend is undeniable, and a resulting network of support groups and services has cropped up.

Outing yourself late in life can be complicated after having lived through times when being openly gay could get you arrested, put in an institution and given shock treatments. It's snarled in a lifetime of trudging along through society's view of normalcy and the resulting fear of being ostracized by children and grandchildren. And it's marked by a nagging doubt that all the heartache, all the potential for it to go wrong, may not be worth it with one's years numbered.

  Sex life linked to elderly health
“If you want good sex, you better get down the gym and tuck into your fruit and veg,” says the Daily Mirror. The newspaper reports that a “big-bang theory” has found a link between sexual activity and general health.

The news is based on two US surveys that looked at more than 6,000 people aged 25 to 85. It found that a satisfactory sex life is positively associated with health in middle age and later life. It also noted that between the ages of 75 to 85, 39% of men were sexually active compared to just 17% of women.

  Demand for Gay Retirement Communities on the Rise
By Sarah Whyte, Sydney Morning Herald, February 21, 2010
According to reports by the US Census Bureau, there are an estimated three million gay and lesbian seniors currently living in the United States. Figures from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force indicate that this number is expected to more than double over the next 25 years as the "gayby boom" generation fully transitions into retirement. Because many gay seniors find traditional retirement communities unprepared or unwilling to meet the needs of GLBT residents, the demand for gay retirement communities is stronger than ever.

In response to this growing need, Out Properties is proud to announce that lots in their new gay retirement development, Marigold Creek, are now available for advanced purchase. Located on 32 acres just outside of Phoenix, this upscale, retirement resort for gays, lesbians and their friends and family, is raising the bar on Arizona retirement communities.

  Sexy seniors need to play it safe
By Sarah Whyte, Sydney Morning Herald, February 21, 2010
SAFE-SEX workshops should be held in aged-care facilities and staff trained to manage promiscuous behaviour as a sexual revolution breaks out among the elderly, experts say.

Health and aged-care professionals report a jump in the number of over-65s leading an active sex life, including having multiple partners. ''We are experiencing an awareness of sexual relations in later life that has not been previously seen,'' University of New England faculty dean, Professor Victor Minichiello, said.

''Increasingly, the younger cohort of older people who are moving into retirement villages are healthy, in relationships, or able to develop new relationships,'' Professor Minichiello said. Council on the Ageing and aged-care associations are calling for ''safe sex'' workshops and guideline policies to be implemented in aged-care and retirement facilities to help staff.

 

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