|
The mission of the BestCare4LGBTIQ+ project is to support the development of LGBTQI+ friendly older care services, providing tools, awareness-raising materials and learning resources to home care and residential care services managers and staff to ensure a better adapted, more respectful, and inclusive care for LGBTQI+ older people living in care facilities.
|
From the beggining |
Where we are now |
|
The project takes over REC project Best4OlderLGBTI which aimed to develop tools and strategies to raise awareness among the general public and some selected target groups about sexuality in old age and older LGBTI, to contrast ageism and discrimination through challenging stereotypes.
Read more about Best4OlderLGBTI, here. |
BestCare4LGBTQI+ is complementary to this previous work, as it makes a step forward from awareness to action, supporting professionals in residential care as well as in home care services in finding and applying strategies to make services inclusive and accessible to all.
Timeframe: 01/12/2021 – 01/06/2024 (30 months) |
Why BestCare4LGBTQI+? |
According to WHO, “a transformation is needed in the way that health systems are designed to ensure affordable access to integrated services that are centred on the needs and rights of older people […] Each system should allow older people to live with dignity and enjoy their basic human rights and fundamental freedoms”, where the right of being LGBTQI+ freely and living their sexuality with dignity is included.
On the other hand, while estimates are that around 10% of the residents of older people care homes and services are LGBTQI+, when asked about LGBTQI+ residents, management and care professionals of care homes and services usually state not to ‘have’ them or not to have ‘any problems with homosexuality’. As such, increasing discrimination and exclusion turned out to be an unknown subject to them which they had not thought of before.
On the other hand, while estimates are that around 10% of the residents of older people care homes and services are LGBTQI+, when asked about LGBTQI+ residents, management and care professionals of care homes and services usually state not to ‘have’ them or not to have ‘any problems with homosexuality’. As such, increasing discrimination and exclusion turned out to be an unknown subject to them which they had not thought of before.
LGBTQI+ people are at high risk of being discriminated against in residential care homes as they lack ‘voice’ due to heteronormativity and the social taboo on sexual diversity. Moreover, according to studies conducted, LGBTQI+ older persons, as they experience and fear to be rejected by health-care providers, care professionals and other residents, can feel forced to go ‘back into the closet’.
Sources:
Leyerzapf, H., Visse, M., De Beer, A., and Abma, T., 2018.
Stein, Beckerman, and Sherman, 2010.
WHO, Campaign against Ageism, “Global strategy and action plan on ageing and health (2016-2020)”.
Sources:
Leyerzapf, H., Visse, M., De Beer, A., and Abma, T., 2018.
Stein, Beckerman, and Sherman, 2010.
WHO, Campaign against Ageism, “Global strategy and action plan on ageing and health (2016-2020)”.
In this context, the mission of the BestCare4LGBTIQ+ project is to support the development of LGBTQI+ friendly older care services, providing tools, awareness-raising material and learning resources to home care and residential care services managers and staff to ensure a better adapted, more respectful, and inclusive care for LGBTQI+ older people living in those facilities.
|
The European Commission’s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
|