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Study: LGBT Ethnic
Elders See More Poverty, Isolation, Bias
By Araceli Martinez
Ortega, New America Media
April 5, 2012
Image Credit: From the report
"Disparities and Resilience among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and
Transgender Older Adults."
SACRAMENTO,
Calif.--Ricardo Urrieta, 61, claims to face discrimination times four:
"I am old, I'm Latino, I'm gay and I have HIV," he declared. "This is
the end for many people.”
Urrieta
's life has not been easy in recent months. And his struggles reflect
findings or a recent national study of older lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender (LGBT) seniors, including significant samples of ethnic
elders.
"I
was a nurse, but one day I could not continue working. I fell down all
the time in the hospital because a disk in my back protruded. The
doctor told me I could no longer work," he recalled.
Disabled and Homeless
While
Urrieta waited for his disability-insurance checks to start arriving,
everything became complicated. With no income and no family, he had to
leave his apartment in Los Angeles.
"I
spent a week in my car, I became homeless on Skid Row. I had to join
the queue for a ticket to get me a sandwich and a soda."
Eventually
he got a room in a hotel for homeless people. "It did not even have
windows," he said.
After
much knocking on doors, Urrieta was able to rent an apartment for
low-income people and began receiving his disability checks, of $1,200
a month.
"Of
that money, $550 is for rent, but at least I have a roof over my head
and enough left for food."
Urrieta
's story is not an isolated case.
Researchers
at the University of Washington School of Social Work, in Seattle,
found in the first nationwide LGBT study on aging and health. It shows
that LGBT seniors experience higher rates of disability, physical and
mental anguish, as well lack of access to services than the non-LGBT
population in the United States.
According
to the report, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health
and the National Institute on Aging, the number of LGBT older adults in
the U.S. will double to more than 4 million by 2030.
The
2011 study, which the researchers presented at the annual meeting of
the Gerontological Society of America, included 2,560 people between
ages 50 and 95.One out of eight participants in the study was from
ethnic or racial minorities.
80 Percent Victimized
The
study reveals that 80 percent of LGBT seniors had been victimized at
least once during their lifetimes, including verbal and physical
assaults, threats of physical violence and being “outed,” and having
their property damaged.
Study
participants said their most common needs were transportation, legal
services, support groups and senior housing.
Urrieta
noted, "In many places I had to be 62 before I could get help with an
affordable place to live.” He noted that some nonprofits working with
the LGBT community in Los Angeles told him there were exceedingly very
long waiting lists to get help with subsidized affordable housing.
Another
finding was that Hispanic and Native American LGBT older adults
reported lower levels of general mental health, higher rates of
depression, and more stress than whites. The report adds, “The
likelihood of neglect for Hispanic and African American LGBT older
adults is also greater.”
Urrieta
continued, "That's why there is so much stress and suicide among us. I
had panic attacks when I slept on the street. I couldn’t sleep because
I did not know whether I would have food the next day.”
Even
worse, he said, “I suffered discrimination and humiliation for being
Latino. It’s hard enough to be gay on Skid Row. They threw the keys at
me at the hotel where I was given a room. I ended up taking
antidepressants,” he said.
Some
of the most important findings of University of Washington study showed
that elders in low-income LGBT seniors confront unique circumstances:
fear of discrimination, lack of support groups and no children to help
them.
In
fact, the report found, “Hispanic and Native American LGBT older adults
in the project are more likely to experience victimization than white
LGBT older adults, while Asian/Pacific Islanders report higher levels
of internalized stigma.”
Compounding
those problems for Latino LGBT seniors, says the report, is that they
also have lower levels of social support than their white counterparts.
Much research, according to the study has linked social isolation among
seniors like Urrieta to poor physical and social health, chronic
illnesses and premature death.
In
addition, the study reports, four out of 10 LGBT elders have considered
suicide.
The
researchers also found that the study participants had greater rates of
disability, depression and loneliness and increased likeliness to smoke
and binge-drink compared with heterosexuals of similar ages.
"Life
for us, as older people, is more difficult than for heterosexuals. They
will always have a family member, or even an ex-wife to give them a
hand. We do not have even that. All my friends are dead," Urrieta said
sadly.
High Rate of Health Disparities
"High
rates of health disparities among LGBT elders are a great public health
concern and a reflection of the hardships they face," said Karen
Frederick-Goldsen, who led the study and directs the University of
Washington’s Institute of Multigenerational Health.
For
instance, one in five respondents to the study said they have not told
their doctors about their sexual orientation for fear of being rejected
or receiving inadequate medical care.
Lack
of openness about sexuality “prevents discussions about sexual health,
risk of breast or prostate cancer, hepatitis, HIV risk, hormone therapy
or other risk factors,” Fredriksen-Goldsen said.
"The
fear of coming out of the closet in front of medical staff puts them in
a vulnerable situation. It can be devastating to encounter someone at
that level who discriminates against them," said Sheila Moore, acting
director of the Gay and Lesbian Center of Los Angeles. She added, "Many
lesbians prefer to go to a doctor who is a woman because they feel
safer."
As
part of its “Call to Action,” the study recommends new investment in
cultural competency training on LGBT issues for health care and human
services professionals, incorporating diversity in age, gender
identity, ethnicity, race and other concerns.
The
study also calls for stronger efforts to protect the safety and
security of LGBT older adults through interventions to combat prejudice
and discrimination. Authorities, states the report, should “fully
prosecute hate crimes based on sexual orientation, gender identity and
age.”
Araceli Martinez wrote this article as
part of the aging research fellowship for journalists from the MetLife
Foundation, a project of the Gerontology Society of America and New
America Media. The article is translated from Spanish and adapted from
an earlier version.
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