Fighting Isolation to Support Rural LGBTQ Seniors

Groups such as Advocacy and Services for LGBT Elders (SAGE) hold events such as potlucks to connect older and younger members of the rural LGBTQ community each year, reports Next Avenue . SAGE's 2017 events attracted more than 3,500 participants across the United States. Experts say rural LGBTQ seniors' resilience will help them as they age. They opted to remain in a rural area and have learned to surmount or navigate around bias without the supportive political and social networks that are common in metropolitan areas. However, isolation is a significant problem, with University of Washington Professor Karen I. Fredriksen Goldsen noting "at times of need, they might not have the access to support. But it's not an all-negative story. There are strengths there and we need to learn to build on those." One study published in the Journal of Gerontological Social Work comparing LGBTQ seniors in rural and urban areas showed rural seniors were significantly less "out" than their urban counterparts. Housing is an important issue and some persons moving into nursing or assisted living communities have to consider if going back to concealing their gender orientation is a safer way of avoiding harassment. Enhancing social networks is a key way for a community — rural or urban — to help LGBTQ older adults.