Call to stop gay senior suicide
GLBTI seniors advocates have urged the Gillard Government to develop a national action plan to ensure GLBTI-friendly aged-care services and stop suicidal thoughts among GLBTI elders.
Gerontologist and GLBTI ageing expert Dr Jo Harrison said suicide among GLBTI elders needs urgent attention and a strategy for GLBTI aged care is critical.
鈥淚 can tell you things that have been said to me by elders in the course of interviews or discussions that refer directly to an expression of suicidal intent or having made what I considered much more formal preparations,鈥� Harrison told the Star Observer.
There is no Australian study probing the rate of suicides or suicidal thoughts among GLBTI seniors, however, Harrison said the trend has been noticed by aged-care workers.
鈥淚t鈥檚 anecdotal but it absolutely can鈥檛 be ignored,鈥� she said.
鈥淲henever suicide is raised or mentioned it鈥檚 very easy to go rushing to the statistics that do exist and can be quoted about gay youth suicide … but [suicide rates among GLBTI seniors] is not being researched.鈥�
Suicide Prevention Australia reports, although there is an overall longterm decline, more elderly men die by suicide than any other age group.
鈥淥nce I found those statistics … this level which is unbelievably high of actual suicide amongst the elderly population generally, that immediately made me think what the hell is happening with our community in that mix,鈥� Harrison said.
Last week the Star Observer reported the Department of Health and Ageing had allocated $1.1 million to tackle high levels of poor mental health and suicide risk in the GLBTI community.
The two-year funding will go to the National LGBTI Health Alliance鈥檚 MindOUT mental health and suicide prevention project.
Alliance Mental Health Working Group chair Dani Wright told the Star Observer while the MindOUT program will mostly tackle mainstream services for all ages, aged care will be included.
Alliance chair Paul Martin said a national action plan is needed to improve GLBT aged care across the board.
The calls come as the Productivity Commission鈥檚 inquiry into aged care, Caring for Older Australians, is due to be tabled in federal Parliament.
The draft report said the provision of aged-care services needs to be respectful and sensitive for GLBTI seniors, including training aged-care workers.
Harrison said any government action plan needs to involve GLBTI seniors.
鈥淲e have GLBTI elders who are out, who have incredible knowledge and ability and experience themselves as activists and advocates and leaders who established organisations,鈥� she said.
鈥淲e need to make sure they are central and crucial to the decision-making about what happens.鈥�
In the last 12 months the Department of Health and Ageing has funded ACON to develop a GLBTI aged care sensitivity training program and Queensland-based aged care support group Care Connect to assist GLBTI seniors.
When I am older, I hardly think I want to go back into the closet. But that is what some service providers demand. We need to be included in the Federal Equal Opportunity Act, so all providers are required not to discriminate in their service provision that some of us many need to access.
The denial of access to health care, such as a Nursing Home, is a gross violation of our fundamental human rights. There are stories of good people working in aged care services, but there is also that of the bad and the entrenched legal discrimination.
It is hard enough getting older sometimes, without having to deal with discrimination on top of that.