Aged Care Insite Issue 112 | Apr-May 2019 | Page 16

industry & reform Rainbow connections Inside the government’s plans to improve aged care for LGBTI seniors. Pauline Crameri and Sam Edmonds interviewed by Conor Burke R ecently, the minister for senior Australians and aged care, Ken Wyatt, announced new steps to improve aged care for LGBTI seniors. The Aged Care Diversity Action Plan for Senior LGBTI Australians is aimed at catering to the needs of the one in 10 older adults who have diverse sexual orientation, gender identity or intersex characteristics. This figure is seen as conservative. Studies show the number of people identifying as sexually diverse is on the rise. As of the 2016 census, some 1260 people identified as either trans, intersex or non-binary – a figure the ABS admitted “is a minimum estimate and is expected to have been substantially under-reported”. LGBTI aged care residents face a number of unique challenges. Discrimination is the big fear, but so is a loss of sexual identity. Pauline Crameri, coordinator of Val’s LGBTI Ageing and Aged Care, says many older LGBTI people fear going into residential aged care. In many instances, older LGBTI residents are without a support structure or somebody to advocate on their behalf. She adds that many LGBTI people have a higher need for a range of support services as they age, because they don’t have the informal supports in place. Sam Edmonds, the national project manager at Silver Rainbow – part of the National LGBTI Health Alliance – was involved in developing the new framework. The Aged Care Sector Committee Diversity Sub-Group, of which the National LGBTI Health Alliance 14 agedcareinsite.com.au is a member, also wrote to the aged care royal commission to voice concerns on behalf of the LGBTI community. “We recommended consideration of a confidential, culturally safe phone line that people could call to provide their stories,” Edmonds told Aged Care Insite. “In addition, it will be essential to have a counselling or other support service in place to support LGBTI peoples, not only those who tell their stories, but also those who have had negative experiences and do not feel confident in telling their story but might re-experience the trauma of the experience from being exposed to discussions and media around the royal commission.” Aged Care Insite spoke with Crameri about the challenges and improvements needed to cater to the LGBTI community in aged care, and with Edmonds about the government’s new action plan. ACI: During Maree McCabe’s testimony at the aged care royal commission, we heard a harrowing story of a gay couple, one of whom developed dementia and was eventually unable to recognise his partner and almost went back to a time when he was in a previous heterosexual marriage. That’s obviously one issue that faces the LGBTI community in aged care. What are some of the others? PC: There’s a whole range of issues we’re aware of through research, particularly over the last 10 years. We know that many older LGBTI people are really fearful of going into residential aged care – and although we could say that is the same throughout the community, I think the stakes are a lot higher for LGBTI people. From the research, we know that LGBTI people potentially have a higher need for a range of support services as they age, because they don’t have a lot of those informal supports in place that many other people may have. By that, I mean children and particularly family of origin. There is a high likelihood that they will need support services, but there seems to be a real absence of knowledge about those low-level support services that can keep you living within the community and living at home – like the Commonwealth Home Support Programme and home care packages. Coupled with that, I would say that even if people do know about those services, there is still somewhat of a fear based on their historical experiences of discrimination and accessing services.