opening doors london working for inclusive and appropriate services for older lesbian, gay, bisexual...
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Opening Doors LondonOpening Doors London
Working for inclusive and appropriate services for older lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgender people
About Opening Doors London
Our primary aims:
To reduce social isolation of older lesbian, gay, bisexual & transgender people
To improve the well being and mental health of older LGBT people
To provide increased support for men and women from the LGBT community to remain independent and live at home for longer
To increase awareness of the needs for older LGBT people within statutory and other voluntary agencies
London’s older LGBT population in context…
Population of London over state pension age 2008; 1,048,800
Estimated LGBT population aged 50 and over is 100,000 plus
An estimated btw 1,000 to 5,000 LGBT people over 50 in each Borough
Why do we need to consider LGBT people in service provision?
Older LGBT people may have a greater need for health Older LGBT people may have a greater need for health and social care services because, compared with their and social care services because, compared with their heterosexual peers they are:heterosexual peers they are:
more likely to live alonemore likely to live alone
more likely to be singlemore likely to be single
Far less likely to have children or Far less likely to have children or other biological family support to other biological family support to call upon in times of need call upon in times of need
Support Needs
Stonewall 2011 research
Anxiety
Stonewall 2011 research
Establishing the Need
Fear of ‘coming out’.
Many older LGBT people have lived through far less liberal times and their past experiences of homophobia and transphobia have made them understandably cautious and reluctant to access much needed services.
“I dread the day when I may need personal care, am forced to live in a communal situation or rely on others where my sexuality is a problem.”
ODL Service User 2010
Eric• Born in 1921 he is now 91 years old• Moved to London at age 18 from
Lancashire• Enjoyed a long, successful career
as a History teacher• Lost his partner of 47 years in 2003• Now lives in residential care
Think about the socio-political climate through which Eric has lived most of his life.
What Impact might this have had? What can you do to ensure your service is inclusive & appropriate for Eric’s
needs?
Opening Doors London decided to develop a checklist to Opening Doors London decided to develop a checklist to ensure an “LGBT friendly” experience for our members when ensure an “LGBT friendly” experience for our members when using social care services. using social care services.
We want people to We want people to feel safefeel safe when they need to access care. when they need to access care.
The Checklist
The Equality Act 2010 places new responsibilities on public bodies to actively tackle discrimination and harassment against LGB and T people and to consider their needs when designing and delivering services.
Areas covered by the Checklistwww.openingdoorslondon.org.uk
Images and languageImages and language
Liaison OfficerLiaison Officer
MonitoringMonitoring
RelationshipsRelationships
Staff Management & Training & RecruitmentStaff Management & Training & Recruitment
ConfidentialityConfidentiality
Avoiding heterosexismAvoiding heterosexism
Additional Supportrt
Opening Doors has developed a training pack to support staff working directly with older clients.
This training aims to:
Raise awareness of the past and present obstacles faced by OLGBT people accessing services.
Increase understanding of the provisions of the Equality Act 2010 and what this legislation requires of service providers.
Provide the tools to give staff increased confidence in working positively with OLGBT service users and ensure equality within service provision.
Recommendations
Ensure you have a clear and explicit reference to sexuality and gender identity in your equality and diversity policy which should be signed by every member of staff
Openly promote what you do to LGBT service users and their carers
Staff training & Development
Ensure contracted agencies/staff adhere to youryour standards
Consult with LGBT people on the design and delivery of services
Ensure that your procurement and commissioning procedures adhere to the 2010 Equality Act (regarding all 9 protected characteristics)
Publicise stats of the diversity of your staff team
‘Come Out’ as a provider of LGBT ‘friendly’ end of life care
For more information contact:
Stacey HallsLGBT Campaigns & Policy Officer
[email protected] 239 0447