Foreword to Final Exhibition

Most people, if given the choice, would choose to age in place. That means they would remain in their homes, taking care of themselves for the duration of their life.  What we know is that there are a few elements that must exist in order for that to happen: 1) one must have a home, 2) one must be in fairly good health, and 3) one must have access to the services they need.  Additionally, today’s 65-year olds have different needs and expectations than those who turned 65, 30 years ago. 

Housing and community development researchers have linked stable housing to education, health, and employment.  Many supports are put in place to support families and children living in low-income neighborhoods.  Children living in poverty have more stress, less resources, and unstable housing, which results in a disadvantage when it comes to learning, focusing, and growing. Putting supports in place such as early learning centers, health clinics, parenting supports, after-school supports and activities, gives children a better chance at being healthier and successful in school. 

Consider the other end of the spectrum - our community’s elders.  Elders, in general, are considered a vulnerable population.  With families living in different geographical locations more and more, elders tend to be without family support nearby.  They tend to have increased health issues to cope with.  Many become socially isolated, which leads to a decline in their health due to depression; and, many don’t seek primary care causing unaddressed health issues to worsen.  Considering that stable housing was one of the three elements to aging in place, these issues are chronically worse for homeless elders.  Elders face the reality that they may need to access elder housing options or long-term care at some point.

Now, I’m not trying to paint a glim picture of elder-hood. Certainly, income factors and supports can significantly impact the challenges an elder faces.  However, regardless of means, all elders need the three elements named earlier in order to age in place: stable housing, fairly good health, and access to services. 

Consider, now, another vulnerable community of elders: lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) elders.  Although there is no concrete way to determine the exact number of LGBT elders in the US, the census estimates about three million Americans are LGBT and about 1.5 million of them are LGBT elders.  The number of LGBT adults is expected to grow to eight million by 2030. What we know is that being LGBT in earlier decades was socially unaccepted by society.  For me, it is hard to imagine a time that being LGBT was considered a mental illness and even a crime.  Elders, who are LGBT, have higher health risks than straight elders including depression, social isolation, substance abuse, physical abuse, and neglect.  Because they are likely candidates for alcohol abuse and smoking, alcoholism and diseases associated with smoking are increased.

When they were growing up, many LGBT elders had to separate from their families because of their sexuality.  Although some were forced to live a straight life, having a spouse and children, many LGBT elders never had children.  For these reasons an LGBT elder’s support social network is generally small.  And because many spent their lives “in the closet” so to speak, they’ve become even more socially isolated as they’ve aged.  Many shy away from health care and are more likely not take advantage of other services - in fear of discrimination perhaps. 

There is an important need to support this aging population.  As LGBT elders age in place, there is an urgent need to help the industry more effectively coordinate health, housing and social services to ensure that these older adults can age safely and independently in their homes.  We know that affordable housing with services is an effective strategy for keeping older adults living independently. Researchers have also proven that services delivered through affordable housing can prevent unnecessary hospitalizations or prematurely placement in higher and more expensive levels of care. 

Today is a new day!  Why not envision a world where all older adults, regardless of income, or sexual orientation, will have the choice to age in place in their communities with the appropriate supports and services.