Elderly People are a vulnerable and sometimes overseen group. Especially if they belong to a minority or another vulnerable group, things are even more difficult for them. There is evidence that older LGBTQI+ suffer from difficulties in accessing healthcare services and receive different treatment in these kinds of services. Professionals lack knowledge of health conditions and the needs of older LGBTQI+ people.
Therefore, BestCare4LGBTQI+ has developed a training program for professionals working in care services with theoretical parts around important topics when working with LGBTQI+ older people and practical activities to reinforce the theory and make it easier to adopt in the professional environment. The training addresses the need for specialised knowledge and further professional development. A pilot version of the training was implemented in Athens, Greece, with professionals from every country on 27-30 March 2023. We implemented the training and received feedback from the professionals; we revised and adapted it based on their suggestions and translated it into the partners’ national languages. Through the training, the caretakers will be more capable of implementing LGBTQI+ inclusive activities. Additionally, we will raise awareness among the professionals on the challenges LGBTQI+ elderly people face and provide the opportunity for specialised caretakers for more job openings and further professional development. The topics of the training are the following:
During the summer of 2023, a pilot training will be implemented in each participating country to gather feedback and finalise the training. If you are interested in participating, contact the organisation implementing the project in your country and learn more!
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“Once upon a time, I stood up, and I succeeded” was this year’s Athens Pride slogan, which started on May 17 and ended on Saturday, May 10th, with the pride parade in the center of Athens.
During the celebrations and events, on Wednesday, June 7 2023, KMOP, in collaboration with Colour Youth, implemented a seminar during Pride Week for Gender-based violence against LGBTQI+. The name of the seminar was “Gender-based Violence against LGBTQI+ - exchanging experiences and good practices”. The event was held at the Hellenic-American Union. It was a hybrid event with physical and online (through Zoom) participation. During the seminar, representatives from Colour Youth, KMOP, Rainbow Families, Rainbow School and LGBTQI+ Employment Support Group presented the issues and discrimination the LGBTQI+ community face daily. The topics of the seminar covered the following:
At the end of the event, the participants had the chance to share their experiences and a small discussion with necessary improvements was made. The event was fruitful and received very positive feedback from the participants. During the event, the following EU projects were presented: Group debate exercise led by AFEJI, part of the delivery of Module 5: Safe and inclusive environment in the care of LGBTQI+ elderly people. The BestCare4LGBTQI+ training took place in Athens, Greece, on the 27-30th of March. This training session included presentations and workshops focused on the following topics, which are also the modules:
The purpose of the training was to test and discuss the adequacy, feasibility, and quality of the curricula, training material and tools developed for the training, and fine tune it according to the feedback received from the participants. At the same time, this meeting of specialists from the partner countries was an opportunity to discuss the reality of residential care and care services in Europe and to exchange good practices. Study visit organized by host organization, KMOP, at the Center of Empowerment LGBTQI+ and their families, where representatives from Rainbow Families and Rainbow Seniors talked about their activity in Greece. Exercise
Why do trans people need to receive more attention?
Most of the time, projects about the LGBTI+ community focus on sexual and romantic orientation, forgetting gender identity on their way. Thus, projects end up dealing with LGB and missing out on half of the community. Moreover, trans and intersex people are more discriminated against. Progress has been made concerning non-heterosexual orientations (same-sex marriage, adoption, anti-hatred laws in some countries, visibility of Pride…), while trans and intersex folks still encounter incomprehension and much more exclusion. This over/under attention sections the community in two. Also, when it comes to medical and social issues, trans and intersex folks are particularly exposed (genital mutilation, transition refusals and control). All in all, they are less heard, listened to, visible and understood. That is why we have to center them in order to offer the most inclusive care possible for LGBTQIA+ elders. Article written by Afeji. One of the reactions we got the most often when sharing about the BestCare4LGBTQI+ project is:
“Why should we make a difference when it comes to LGBTQI folks? As long as we are tolerant, there is no need for them to be cared for specifically, compared to non-LGBTQI residents.” Except there is a specific need that we have to address. All along their lives, LGBTQI+ people encounter medical and social difficulties that are directly related to their LGBTQI+ condition. Especially in a context when, decades ago, being LGBTQI+ was not as tolerated as it is now – even though huge progress is still to achieve. Consider a person who’s afflicted by diabetes. You would not think about this argument, because it appears logical that each specific situation requires specific solutions and, in this case – care. You would not think that you are offering a privileged care to this person with diabetes. It goes the same for LGBTQI+ people – except they are not afflicted by a disease. But they experience they had during their lives shaped their mental and physical health. “All older people should be treated with the same goodwill and professionalism.” That goes without saying, all older people should be treated the same way. But how can we expect them to be treated equally if we don’t understand them and their experiences? For instance, how can we expect to seize the possible health hazards encountered by a senior transitioning and taking hormones? How can we evaluate properly the risks incurred by an intersex elder if we do not understand what intersexuation is? If you are wondering what are these issues, we encourage you to check the BestCare4LGBTQI+ board which summarizes all the issues of LGBTQI+ elders in terms of access to access to healthcare, access to end-of-life care, mental health, social isolation and experience of violence. Article written by Afeji |
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