Contact: Judy Evans, 212-741-2247 x237, jevans@sageusa.org
The latest issue of Public Policy & Aging Report is the first ever devoted to addressing the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) older adults within the context of the broader aging field.
[New York, NY] Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE) and the National Academy on an Aging Society today released the first-ever issue of the acclaimed Public Policy & Aging Report (PPAR) on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) aging, highlighting gaps in policy and research on LGBT older adults, and current and future solutions to address the needs of LGBT elders.
"Given the voluminous gerontological literature that has built up over the past half-century, it is hard to imagine that any set of aging populations has been largely ignored or under-investigated. Yet, LGBT older adults have remained nearly invisible to the community of advocates, researchers, practitioners, administrators, and politicians who associate themselves with the modern aging enterprise," said PPAR Editor Robert Hudson, PhD, chair of the Department of Social Policy at the Boston University School of Social Work. "This issue of Public Policy & Aging Report takes a step toward filling that void."
LGBT older adults make up a significant share of America's 65+ population, and their numbers are expected to double in size over the next several decades, reaching more than 3 million by 2030. An increase in numbers signals a growing need to ensure that the policies designed to protect our nation's elders take into account the needs of LGBT older adults.
"Despite recent policy advances, LGBT older adults still face significant barriers to successful aging, such as poor health outcomes, a lack of economic security, social isolation, and unequal treatment under the law and in programs aimed at aging populations," said Michael Adams, executive director of SAGE. "SAGE is pleased to partner with the National Academy on an Aging Society on this issue of Public Policy & Aging Report to bring LGBT elders' concerns into the spotlight to transform discussions on aging nationwide."
PPAR, distributed to thousands of thought leaders in the aging field, explores policy issues generated by the aging of American society. Each thematic issue is designed to stimulate debate, highlight emerging concerns and propose alternative policy solutions.
The current issue, co-sponsored by SAGE, explores several topics related to LGBT aging, including the need for more research and public policies devoted to LGBT populations; the failure of existing broad-based aging policies to incorporate LGBT needs and interests; the need for cultural competency training among services personnel; coalition work between organizations working with LGBT older adults and elders of color to advance common policy goals; and the profound implications of a demographic estimate showing that one in two Americans living with HIV will be 50 and older by 2015. The issue also gives an overview of the current state of LGBT aging policy and advocacy, and highlights important new research from a landmark nationwide study of LGBT older adults and their health.
This issue's authors include several leaders in the LGBT and aging fields, including Michael Adams, SAGE; Kellan Baker and Jeff Krehely, Center for American Progress; Lilliam Barrios-Paoli, New York City Department for the Aging; Brian de Vries, San Francisco State University; Robert Espinoza, SAGE; Karen Fredriksen-Goldsen, PhD, University of Washington; Hilary Meyer, National Resource Center on LGBT Aging; Nathan Schaefer, Gay Men's Health Crisis; Daniel Tietz, AIDS Community Research Initiative of America; Catherine Thurston, SAGE; and Harper Jean Tobin, National Center for Transgender Equality.
Read the issue online at sageusa.org. Print copies of the current issue of PPAR, published by the National Academy on an Aging Society, are available for purchase at agingsociety.org.
Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE) is the country's largest and oldest organization dedicated to improving the lives of LGBT older adults. SAGE has pioneered programs and services for the aging LGBT community, provided technical assistance and training to expand opportunities for LGBT older people across the country, and provided a national voice on LGBT aging issues. In 2005, SAGE became the first official LGBT delegate at the White House Conference on Aging. In 2010, SAGE was awarded a three-year $900,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Administration on Aging to seed the creation of the nation's only National Resource Center on LGBT Aging. Learn more at sageusa.org and lgbtagingcenter.org.
The National Academy on an Aging Society is the policy institute of The Gerontological Society of America, the nation's oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to research, education, and practice in the field of aging. The principal mission of the Society -- and its 5,400+ members -- is to advance the study of aging and disseminate information among scientists, decision makers, and the general public.
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