Imagine for a Moment…
By Kathie Kane
…you are in your room with that special someone, the person who makes you
happy, shares your trials and tribulations and brightens your day. Who is that
person? What is your relationship? Spouse, partner, friend, relative? Suddenly, there
is a knock on the door. Do you startle and separate or do you invite the visitor
into your space?
Apply for a Healthcare Equality Index
branding by contacting www.hrc.org/hei
In Reaching the LGBT Boomer Consumer, Philip Mehl, director of long term care,
Woodland Pond at New Paltz and ProCare consultant, LeadingAge New York
reminded members that every decision your LGBT seniors make is based on years of prejudice, secrecy, fear and sometimes
shame. How welcoming is your organization? Will it look like, feel like, home to LGBT seniors?
Even with the best of intentions, you may be inadvertently sending the wrong message – that it isn’t a safe place to discuss your
lifestyle and relationships, and to simply be yourself.
Awareness is the first step that should lead to dialogue, because from the first moment of the courting process for new
residents you are asking questions – invasive personal questions about religion, hobbies, habits and dietary wants and needs.
Why not ask what relationships are important and how the person feels about them? It can instantly set a non-judgmental tone
helping people see that the organization cares and wants the potential resident to be happy and comfortable.
How do your policies respect the privacy of all residents? Does everyone knock and wait for an invitation to come in? This as
well as other simple protocols can go so far in maintaining the dignity of everyone.
Many older LGBT seniors may not seek residential placement or may “go back in the closet” in a residential setting for fear
of discrimination by staff or being ostracized by peers. Is your organization prepared? Lack of action can be perceived as
acceptance of bad behavior.
Remember that residents had rich lives before they came through your doors. Finding out as much as possible about those
rich lives will set you apart from other facilities. To provide a welcoming environment for LGBT residents you can apply for a
Healthcare Equality Index branding by contacting www.hrc.org/hei. This simple graphic or a poster in a common area of your
facility tells LGBT consumers, potential residents, this is a safe place to live and to let them “Imagine for a Moment….”
Mergers and Acquisitions: Is It the Right Time for You? (continued from page 37)
costs as well as leveraging savings with vendors, physical therapy and physicians. Achieving these efficiencies allowed Chase
to be more financially viable. There was no “cleaning house.” Staff were told change didn’t mean they were doing something
wrong, it just meant there were savings to be found by doing some things differently. The only staff losses or changes were
realized through attrition. In the arrangement, there was no mixing of finances. Finances for each entity are separate and will
remain that way.
In the end, staying true to mission makes it much easier to forge a relationship and in turn, continue best practices and
quality services.
leadingageny.org
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