HUDSON — Hudson Valley LGBTQ Community Center and Q-MoB, a nonprofit organization that promotes community, wellness, & fun among rural queer men in the Greater Berkshire Region, are launching on Sept. 18 a new Rainbow Lounge: LGBTQ Aging Well Peer Support Group, 1st and 3rd Wednesdays, 6:30-8 p.m., at the Spark of Hudson Building.
The group helps LGBTQ+ people 40 and up share food & provide peer support to one another for negotiating the inevitable changes/challenges in the following areas associated with aging well:
HealthRelationships/CommunityHousingFinancesWork/PurposeMindfulness/SpiritualityPlay/Creativity
The series is also designed to give elders a way to reduce isolation, build community connections, and practice teamwork, and is believed to be the first regular gathering by and for LGBTQ elders in Columbia County.
LGBTQ elders in the Berkshire/Hudson Valley Region are a rapidly growing demographic that has the following special risk factors based on the largest study ever done of aging LGBTQ people:
More than 3 million LGBTQ adults over age 50 live in the U.S. – and more than half of them feel isolated from others and 59 percent report feeling a lack of companionship. This population is set to grow to about 7 million by 2030 (6 years from now). The LGBTQ senior population in the Berkshires is growing even faster because of COVID & climate change migrations from the big cities.In Berkshire County among six age groups — 0 to 4, 5 to 19, 20 to 34, 35 to 49, 50 to 64, and 65 and older — the 65+ group was the fastest growing between 2010 and 2022 with its population increasing 33.2%. The 5 to 19 age group declined the most dropping 20.1% between 2010 and 2022, and all other age groups have also declined, according to this census data.7 out of 10 LGBT older adults live alone as compared to 3 out of 10 heterosexual older adults. The social isolation of living alone, compounded by the fears of allowing homecare, chore-service, and other lay and professional staff into one’s home create a significant barrier for care. LGBT older adults often feel they have no one to call in times of need.9 out of 10 LGBT older adults have no children to help care for them as compared to 2 out of 10 heterosexual older adults. Furthermore, LGBT older adults have often been ostracized from an extended network of family members based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. LGBT older adults tend to form extended friend networks or “chosen families” that they rely on to help care for them at times of need. Unlike heterosexual family structures that are intergenerational, chosen families tend to be composed of same-age peers who are, as they age, facing the same care challenges.LGBT older adults are nearly 3 times as likely to live in poverty as heterosexual older adults, and to have lower lifetime incomes and retirement incomes.
“LGBTQ Elders not only survived the draconian mass firings and witch hunts of the 1950 & 60s and the AIDS epidemic, but they have built a social justice movement that revolutionized US healthcare, secured marriage equality and broad civil rights for LGBTQ people, and now they are revolutionizing how marginalized people cope with and thrive as they age,” Bart Church, Q-MoB’s Interim Executive Director said.
Church is 64 and has been a community organizer since the beginning of the AIDS epidemic.
“Our LGBTQ Aging Well Collaborative Learning Series is designed to unlock the wisdom of queer elders and the community experts who want to empower and learn from them,” Church said. “For more than 200 years queer people in the Berkshires & Hudson Valley have been contributing their incredible artistic, business, & community development gifts, and now it’s time for them to revolutionize how we age gracefully and in community.”
LGBTQ Aging Well Collaborative Learning Series and peer support groups:
Q-MoB in collaboration with experts from Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, Berkshire Health System, Elder Services of Berkshire County, & Greylock Federal Credit Union, is also launching in September a new LGBTQ Aging Well Collaborative Learning Series.
5 Sessions will be held every other Tuesday from 6:30-8 p.m. beginning Sept. 17 at the Pittsfield Public Library, Athenaeum Room (2nd Floor).
SESSION 1: Sept. 17 LGBTQ Aging Well 1
Unexpected disability/death: End of life planning in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
SESSION 2: Oct. 1 LGBTQ Aging Well 2
Health: Creating healthy habits for eating, exercise, sleep and mindfulness in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
SESSION 3: Oct. 15 LGBTQ Aging Well 3
Housing: How to find or adapt your home so it will be a resilient base for your aging in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
SESSION 4: Oct. 29 LGBTQ Aging Well 4
Relationships: How to build your aging well team, chosen family and friendships in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
SESSION 5: Nov. 12 LGBTQ Aging Well 5
Finances: Managing Financial Risks & creating financial abundance even on a fixed income in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, including how to crack the health insurance quagmire.
Rainbow Lounge
LGBTQ Aging Well Peer Support Group in Hudson, New York1st & 3rd Wednesdays, begins Sept. 18, 6:30-8 p.m.Co-hosted by Q-MoB and Hudson Valley LGBTQ Community Center
In addition to the Aging Well Peer Support and Learning Series, Q-MoB also offers the following other social & recreation activities in September in Columbia County that are for adult queer men of all ages.
Q-MoB Queer Men’s Coffee Klatch at Wylde Coffee
2nd Sundays, 9/8, 10am-12:30pm in HudsonMeet queer men of all ages from all over the region at one of the best and most beautiful coffee houses in the region. Hosted by Ron & Rick.
High Falls Conservation Area in Hudson
Saturday, Sept. 14, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.Join queer men from all over the region for this easy hike to one of the most spectacular set of falls in the Hudson Valley.
Q-MoB Columbia County Potluck Dinner & Pool Party in Canaan
Saturday, Sept. 21, 3-7 p.m.Share great food & beverages w/ queer men from all over the region at this historic, beautiful home with a swimming pool with volleyball. Our hosts, Garrick & Will, have assembled an exhibit of amazing photos of gay/lesbian pool parties at this pool in the 50s, 60s, & 70s.
A list of all of Q-MoB’s events can be found at eventbrite.com/cc/q-mob-events-1637649.
