Coverage of aging is supported in part by AARP Arizona
In the next six years, there will be 7 million LGBTQ+ adults 65 or older in the U.S. That’s according to SAGE, the national advocacy organization. But they often face unique hurdles that aren’t always understood.
Allie Peckham is an assistant professor at Arizona State University’s Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation.
“So, I think for this particular population, they grew up in an era where they were often criminalized,” she said.
And there’s still a fear among some in this community about how they’ll be treated by health-care practitioners as they age or in a long-term care community.
“There are some people who describe this fear being so severe that they may actually end up being closeted once again. And that is definitely something that is unique to this population,” Peckham said.
It’s why the Center for Innovation in Healthy and Resilient Aging will be screening “Not Another Second,” a film featuring the stories of 12 LGBTQ+ elders, on Oct. 15. Peckham says the goal is to highlight the resilience of this population as well spark conversation in the community.
“Some people talk about, again, coming out later in life. Some people talk about coming out and then also coming out as a transgender woman as well … so experiencing that through the aging process,” Peckham said.
