Transgender seniors not getting proper carePRIDE MONTH: LGBT SENIORS SAGE and NCTEby Sean Pyles | 2012-06-13
http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/lgbt/Transgender-seniors-not-getting-proper-care/38122.htmlhttp://www.lgbtagingcenter.org/resources/resource.cfm?r=520 Report- Improving the Lives of Transgender Older Adults: Recommendations for Policy and Practice
Helena Bushong. Photo by Andrew DavisA recent new set of recommendations released by SAGE (Services and Advocacy for LGBT Elders) and the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) sheds light on systematic issues facing the growing population of aging transgender Americans.
The report—entitled "Improving the Lives of Transgender Older Adults; Recommendations for Policy and Practice"—focuses on how insurance companies, Medicare and cultural stigma prevent aging transgender people from receiving proper care.
According to the report, "The existing research on transgender people paints a picture of many people aging in isolation and without a network of knowledgeable or welcoming providers in the aging, health and social services arenas."
This isolation can have profound effects on the aging transgender population. The report explains how "in order to avoid the stress of dealing with incompetent service providers, many transgender people do not seek care until they experience health emergencies and, in some cases, have died in the absence of medical care."
