A new state-funded grant program aims to help LGBTQ+ seniors feel safe being "out" in new surroundings. The program funds sensitivity training for service professionals, such as police, health care providers, social services workers or staff in long-term care facilities.
AgeLinc – the Area Agency on Aging for Lincolnland, which serves central Illinois – received a $100,000 state-funded grant to implement a statewide training program. For the training AgeLinc has developed "OUTSafe: The LGBTQ+ Older Adult Violence Prevention Training Program." The state grant was made available with the help of state Sen. Doris Turner and the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority.
Scott Linde, director of development for AgeLinc, said OUTSafe training "tries to help the community understand gender identity and sexual orientation, and the challenges facing LGBTQ+ seniors." Teaching sensitivity, respect and inclusion is a way to reduce violence, he said.
Linde said 30% of LGBTQ+ seniors fear having to move into a senior living facility, worried that they won't be understood or accepted by staff or residents. For example, a central Illinois man struggled after moving into a long-term care facility. "When he moved into that community, he had to go back in the closet for fear of retaliation or discrimination," Linde said. "And he lived there for six years as a straight man. Thank goodness his daughter bought a duplex and she let him move in on the other side. So he escaped that."
Linde said OUTSafe was presented to a group called PrideLinc, a weekly Springfield-area gathering of LGBTQ+ seniors age 60-plus. The group started during the pandemic with about five people, and now draws 16-20 weekly. The training serves as an introductory course on violence prevention and improved competency on LGBTQ+ relations. Another OUTSafe presentation was made in southern Illinois. AgeLinc and its allies hope to reach at least 500 service providers in the coming months to take the training. Participants learn about appropriate language to use and how to offer safe spaces for these seniors to seek the services and support they need without fear of discrimination or stigma.
According to the U. S. Department of Jusice, in Illinois hate crimes based on sexual orientation have increased by almost seven times from 2020 to 2022, and hate crimes based on gender identity have increased by more than four times over the same period. Nearly 5 percent of Illinois' population is LGBTQ+, yet the reported numbers drop as people reach 50 and older. This is likely because of fears they will be treated differently as they leave their homes for more assisted care. Emotional abuse, financial exploitation and physical abuse are the most frequent challenges facing these seniors.
"OUTSafe serves as a powerful reminder that there are many people in our communities who have experienced decades of pain, abuse or feeling like they don't matter. That must end today," said Carolyn Austin, CEO of AgeLinc. "This is vital work, and we are ready for the challenge."
The program is available free to any interested provider. Service providers interested in scheduling a training session can learn more at agelinc.org/lgbt-support, or by calling Carolyn Austin or Scott Linde at 217-787-9234.
