One of our spinoffs is this state website with the Department of Rehabilitation Services for LGBTQ+ resources “LGBT Resources for Older Adults” (Notice that one of the resources listed is Connecticut Transadvocacy Coalition).
Another project that we have worked on is a brochure by State Unit On Aging on our rights in nursing homes and long term care facilities; it lists what our rights are when we have to stay at those facilities.
In last Friday’s meeting another website was discussed “My Place CT” which is run by the Department of Social Services and it is going to be a reference for senior citizens to find state agencies and non-profit serving senior citizens. I want to make sure that resources for us are listed.
Many of the LGBTQ+ population that fought for our rights in the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s are aging and are facing new battles when they move into senior facilities.
A couple of the problems that I have heard from trans people in LTC facilities are social isolation, shunning, mis-gendering, and using the wrong pronouns. We are something like 0.5% of the population so when it is time to go into a LTC the resident might be the only trans person at the facility. Many times we are put in a single room instead of a ward, in other words we are being segregated from the general populations and it spills over to the other residents, they see that we are being isolated by the LTC facility, we end up eating our meals alone and not included in residents activities.
So there is a lot of work ahead of us on the committees.
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