The world’s most-read LGBT outlet PinkNews will host its inaugural Ageing Summit presenting new research for the LGBT+ community.
Over the past 60 years, attitudes towards the LGBT+ community have radically changed. Yet inequalities remain, and older LGBT+ people are shouldering a disproportionate amount of the burden in later life compared to the rest of the population.
This older LGBT+ generation suffers from a lack of awareness and understanding of their issues. This all too often results in increased isolation and loneliness.That is, until now. PinkNews has worked with their research sponsor Aegon to produce a research report looking at the critical issues faced by older LGBT+ people, from housing to social care.
Some key findings are:
⅔ of older LGBT+ people have experienced discrimination or abuse in the healthcare system, and delay seeking treatment as a result
Many older LGBT+ people go ‘back into the closet’ in care homes, resulting in care staff believing they have no LGBT+ residents
There is a desire for LGBT-specific housing from LGBT older people in the UK, yet no such provision exists
To bring awareness to the challenges faced by the older LGBT+ community, PinkNews will host its first-ever Ageing Summit on 14th May 2019, with the report forming the basis of discussion at the summit.
The event will bring together over 100 delegates, ranging from politicians engaged with LGBT+ and older persons’ issues, activists, healthcare practitioners and finance industry professionals.
Benjamin Cohen, CEO of PinkNews, said: ‘The first generations of LGBT+ people to have witnessed decriminalisation are ageing. For some, this means entering a care system which still fails to meet the needs of our community. My hope is that these generations who fought so hard and lost so much for the rights we now enjoy are not forgotten. The recommendations in this report, and the research that informs it, have the potential to drive meaningful progress in the fight against inequality over the coming years.’
Stephen McGee, CFO of Aegon UK, said: ‘We welcome the publication of the review which brings together a multitude of studies on the issues facing the LGBT+ community when it comes to ageing. Whether it’s concern about ensuring financial assets are passed on to the right beneficiaries or a worry about the potential for discrimination in later life care, the Review points to a number of areas associated with finance, housing, care and health which warrant further investigation. We were delighted to sponsor the initiative because as a business our purpose is to support customers achieve a lifetime of financial security.’
