LOS ANGELES: An LGBTI elder today claimed that many older lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people face issues with discrimination when accessing aged care services.
Among the concerns are a lack of family support, stigma from aged care providers and other clients, a lack of understanding of specific LGBTI issues and difficulty finding residential care that welcomes same-sex partners.
He says deeply held anxiety of prejudice and discrimination means many people are missing out on vital assistance.
“Because they’ve lived their whole lives in fear of their sexuality being exposed,” he said.
“For some people this would be 60 or 70 years of living with this secret; they don’t have the ability to let go and be open.”
“So they may not get the best care that could be provided for them or care that is targeted specifically to them.”…