We Are All Getting Older...

...And it sure beats the alternative of pushing up daisies.

However, being trans creates a whole mess of barriers that we face.

Case study explores needs of transgender-identified senior citizens
CBS19
By Desiree Montilla
February 23rd, 2020

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- Two nurses from the University of Virginia's School of Nursing are looking into the needs of transgender-identified senior citizens.

Cathy Campbell, a faculty member at the UVA School of Nursing, produced the case study with Lauren Catlett, a Ph.D. student at the UVA School of Nursing.

The case study took over a year to publish and focused on a book titled, "Little Star." The book is based on the story of a local transgender-identified elder named Carmelita.

Catlett cared for Carmelita while she was in hospice and supported her through the end of her life.
[…]
Campbell said there's data that suggests many senior citizens transition at a later stage in their life.

"People who are 65 years of age or older, who identify as transgender, 97 percent of those people transitioned after the age of 55," she said.

For many lesbians and gays going in to a Long Term Care facility is hard but they can hide again in a closet if they want to however for many trans people that is not an option.

UVA Today wrote,

Of the 1.5 million Americans who identify as transgender, roughly 217,000 – about 14% – are older than age 65. According to a 2011 report by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, 97% transitioned (claimed their preferred gender identity that differed from their sex at birth) at age 55 or older.

Sometimes called “Generation Silent,” many transgender senior citizens – like LGBTQ seniors more generally – are particularly vulnerable at the end of their lives, and sometimes conceal their status with care providers out of fear of being mistreated, according to University of Virginia nursing professor and scholar Cathy Campbell. Without a concerted effort to prevent such discrimination, these groups may experience gaps in care, unchecked pain associated with their illness or even outright abandonment by clinicians.

Okay, you reach a point in life where you need help for your everyday chores so you are looking at one of those “homemaker” to come in to your house to help with meals, shopping, and cleaning what do you do?

I used to what I call “sanitizing,” I would clean my house of everything “trans” when my parents came over but you can’t do that if a homemaker is there everyday.

Tomorrow I am doing training at a “service agency” that provides homemaker and companion services for home-bound senior citizens and Friday is the CT Long Term Care Ombudsman Inclusive Care Committee meeting. Next month I am doing training for Long Term Care providers.

Does any laws protect us?

Here in Connecticut we have PA11-55 An Act Concerning Discrimination which covers housing and public accommodation which includes nursing homes and LTC facilites.

There is a pamphlet that National Long Term Care Ombudsman, the National Resource Center on LGBT Aging, and Lambda Legal that discuss your rights.

Residents’ Rights and the LGBT Community: Know YOUR Rights as a Nursing Home Resident

The federal 1987 Nursing Home Reform Law requires nursing homes to “protect and promote the rights of each resident” emphasizing individual dignity and self-determination in the provision of long-term care. Every nursing home accepting Medicare and/or Medicaid must meet federal requirements, including those regarding residents’ rights.
[…]
KNOW Your Rights
Individuals living in nursing homes have the same rights to be free from discrimination and harassment as individuals living in the larger community. In addition, they have rights and protections provided by federal nursing home regulations and state and federal anti-discrimination provisions. The rights of all residents should be honored and respected, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.

Understanding your rights, learning about ways to solve problems, and knowing how to get help if issues arise is the first step in ensuring quality care. The federal nursing home regulations provide the following resident rights and facility requirements that may be of particular importance to lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender individuals living in a nursing home. State nursing home regulations and various anti-discrimination laws may provide additional protections (see “Resources” section for link to federal nursing home regulations)

Here in Connecticut we have a Long Term Care Ombudsman that can help you.

We shouldn’t have to worry our care when we get older.