Lessons Learned from an LGBTQ Senior Center: A Bronx Tale

Abstract

This article describes an interdisciplinary pilot study exploring the impact of LGBTQ senior centers on the lives of center members. Many LGBTQ adults face the future having experienced stigma and bias, restricted rights, and rejection from family of origin, and are now growing older without the support of a partner and adult children. As a result, older LGBTQ adults experience higher rates of depression, loneliness and isolation, and shortened life expectancy as compared to non-LGBTQ peers. Findings from focus group and key informant interviews highlight features of LGBTQ senior center experiences that can significantly improve members' quality of life. These include providing family, acceptance and a home, which can have an impact on outlook and outcomes. Moreover, findings suggest the need for re-thinking hetero-normative definitions of "community" in the context of LGBTQ aging. Beyond sharing findings from the study, suggesting a conceptual framework for deepening understanding about LGBTQ aging, and identifying lines of future inquiry, the article articulates implications for social work research, practice and education. Ultimately, the article argues that social work is well positioned to improve quality of life for this under-served population when it adopts a cultural humility stance in research, practice and education.

‘I don’t want to go back into the closet just because I need care’: recognition of older LGBTQ adults in relation to future care needs

“…The question of recognition is addressed in interviews since a common concern for all interviewees was that they wanted to be accepted for their identity. These findings correspond to results from other studies, which highlight the importance of acceptability (see for example McGovern, Brown, & Gasparro, 2016;Sullivan, 2014). The interviewees expressed ideas that could be understood as them wanting recognition for their individuality and their identity in a future elder care context, although this was expressed somewhat differently in the LGBTQ group.…”

Senior Centres in Canada and the United States: A Scoping Review

“…Two themes were identified: feeling accepted, welcomed, and valued, and creating hope for a good life. McGovern, Brown, and Gasparro (2016) explored the impact of the opening of an LGBTQ senior centre in the Bronx, and three themes emerged: the centre as family, feeling accepted, and being connected to the Bronx (in terms of location and culture). In a Canadian study, Rossow-Kimball and Goodwin (2014) sought to understand the experiences of older adults with intellectual disabilities at a senior centre that had a program designed to facilitate their participation.…”

“…The sector is less cohesive than in the United States, however, and there is no federal legislation or OAA equivalent. Some provinces have legislation pertaining to senior centres and offer specific funding for them (e.g., Ontario) (Ministry of Seniors Affairs, 2017), whereas others (e.g., British Columbia) do not. Senior centres are usually operated by non-profits or municipalities (Levi & Kadowaki, 2016; Older Adult Centres’ Association of Ontario [OACAO], 2010).…”

What Activities Count as Active Aging? The Challenge of Classifying Diversity

“…Thus, a typical senior is of an advanced age (75 years and older) [20] and lives in an urban setting (more than 100,000 inhabitants) [24]. This characterization limits the inclusion of older people with disabilities [25], cultural diversity [26], and even sexual diversity, since older lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual (LGBT) people rarely attend senior centers [27].…”