As June comes to a close, I thought I would share with you a few studies and helpful resources in the field of LGBTQ+ Aging & Older Adults. Below are my top 10 recommended resources in this space. As a bonus, I’ve included a short list of my favorite curated resources. I hope you will find them useful and informative. Without further ado:
- AARP’s “Dignity 2022: The Experience of LGBTQ Older Adults” (June, 2022)
- AARP’s “Maintaining Dignity: A Survey of LGBT Adults Age 45 and Older” (March, 2018)
- “The Aging and Health Report: Disparities and Resilience among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Older Adults” (Fredriksen-Goldsen et al., 2011)
- Alzheimer’s Association’s LGBTQ Community Resources for Dementia
- LGBTQ Caregiver Center
- The Goldsen Institute
- GLMA (Health Professionals Advocating for LGBTQ Equality)
- SAGE, USA (Advocacy and Services for LGBTQ+ Elders)
- Fenway Institute’s National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center
- Johns Hopkins Medicine’s Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Health Equity: LGBTQ+ Resources
Curated Resources:
Especially for LGBTQ+ Older Adults Coming Out to Healthcare Professionals:
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- “Coming Out to Your Healthcare Provider” (Queer Forty, October 11, 2017)
- “Coming Out to Your Healthcare Provider” (Queer Forty, October 11, 2017)
Studies Seeking LGBTQ+ Participants:
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- The RISE Registry (“Research Inclusion Supports Equity”—an opt-in database of LGBTQIA+ people 18+ with memory difficulties who would like to volunteer for memory, dementia, and Alzheimer’s research)
- Goldsen Institute Global Pride Study
- Goldsen Institute Wellness With Pride Study
- SAGE & National Resource Center on LGBTQ Aging
Relevant Presentations:
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- LGBTQ+ Seniors: Top of Mind with Julie Rose, featuring Karen Fredriksen Goldsen (On the consequences of Social Isolation–Observations before and after the COVID era, March 2021)
- The Cascading Effects of Marginalization, Resilience and Health over Time: Life Course Forces in the Future of LGBTQ Aging Research.(Dr. Karen I. Fredriksen-Goldsen, 22nd meeting of the Society for Social Work and Research, January 2018)
- Frailty in People Living With HIV: An Accelerated Phenotype? (Dr. Todd Brown, JHU Center on Aging and Health, May 2022)
Center on American Progress: 6 Consequences of SDOH on LGBTQ+ Health:
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- Substance use disorders
- Alcohol consumption
- Rx misuse
- Smoking
- Street drug
- Obesity & eating disorders
- Mental health, anxiety & depression
- Isolation & loneliness
- Suicide rates
- Heart disease
- Glucose control
- Smoking
- Breast & cervical cancer
- Sexually transmitted infections
- Substance use disorders
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Baltimore-Based LGBTQ+ Health Nonprofit:
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention: LGBT Health Disparities:
“People who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, or Transgender (LGBT) are members of every community. They are diverse, come from all walks of life, and include people of all races and ethnicities, all ages, all socioeconomic statuses, and from all parts of the country. The perspectives and needs of LGBT people should be routinely considered in public health efforts to improve the overall health of every person and eliminate health disparities”
Current Events Impacting LGBTQ+ Minority Stress:
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- In Maryland:
- After neighbors fear hate crime, rainbow-colored flags flood the Abell neighborhood (Baltimore Banner, June 17, 2022)
- National News:
- “Transgender Woman Reaches Landmark Settlement with Maine Assisted Living Facility That Denied Her a Room” (GLAD Legal Advocates & Defenders, June 13, 2022)
- “Biden signs first ever Executive Order for LGBTQ+ Older Adults” (Queer Forty, June 15, 2022)
- “Clarence Thomas’s Abortion Opinion Revisits Same-Sex Marriage, Contraception” (Wall Street Journal, June 25, 2022)
- In Maryland:
By Anthony L. Teano, MLA
Communications Specialist