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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (May 6, 2005)
14 jUSt OUt 1 may 6. 2005 Q ueers P repare for the G olden Y ears SHARE plans retirement housing to meet needs of sexual minorities by Sarah Dougher Looking for someone to grow old with? National College of Naturopathic Medicine n estimated 3 million gay men and lesbians older than 65 live in the United States—a number that’s expected to double by 2030. Queer seniors face the same aging issues as other seniors. However, because of their sexual orientation, they often encounter discrimination, social isolation and barriers to accessing services geared to heterosexuals. As more queers enter midlife, or deal with aging parents, they become increasingly aware that the current housing facilities for the senior population in general are often less than ideal. Housing options that address the needs of queer seniors are, in particular, scarce. Nationally, only a handful of retirement communities are designed specifically for the queer community, although increased elder activism is bring ing the issue to the forefront in many communities. Few of the existing facilities serve seniors with low to moderate incomes. The Pacific Northwest has no retirement facilities tailored to the needs of queer seniors. bisexual and transgender elders is available to them as they age. Many indicated they fear they will have to hide their sexual orientation if they ch<x>se to move into retirement housing geared to hetero sexual seniors. Of those surveyed, 80 percent said they want to live in a setting that is sup portive to queer retirees. The survey also indicated a critical need for affordable housing among queer seniors. A quarter of survey respondents have annual incomes below $20,000. The proportion of low- income respondents increases to nearly 60 per cent for those 65 and older. David Wilson (left) of SHARE and Daniel Hutchison of Out Dancing cut a rug for the crowd April 23. Music for the SHARE fund-raiser was provided by the Rose City Swing Band. Not your parents’ mortgage company The world Is a different place than when your parents bought a home The 30-year fixed loan they got might not be the best loan for you today We otter the latest in interest only, deferred interest and $0 down loan programs We ll help you find the loan that will benefit your whole financial picture. Let us show you how choosing one of these programs can save you thousands of dollars in interest. Rose City www.RoseCityMtg.com 5O3.7G8.4Z48 Mortgage Specialists Senior Housing and Retirement Enterprises is a nonprofit organization that is developing plans to create affordable housing to meet the needs of queer seniors in the Portland metro politan area. SHARE envisions a continuum of care that is supportive, interdependent and diverse, where elders and their friends and fam ily are welcome. At its “Share the Evening with SHARE” benefit April 23, president Wendy Wixxls pre sented a summary of the results of a survey that SHARE compiled in March. To assess the retirement needs of the sexual minorities community, SHARE distributed questionnaires for two years at targeted events and meetings of local organizations. More than 700 written responses were received. Survey respondents were 60 percent female, and nearly 80 percent indicated they were “out.” The median age of the survey respondents was 53, and overall the respondents ranged from 23 to 84, with the majority coming from the age group between 40 and 70. The executive summary of the survey indi cates that nearly all of those surveyed in Port land’s sexual minorities community are con cerned that their needs will not be met unless retirement housing that welcomes gay, lesbian, More than one-third of the respondents would prefer to stay in their own home as long as possible and hire help as needed. When increased care becomes necessary, one-fifth would prefer to live inde pendently in a home, condo or apartment located in a retirement setting. Survey respondents indicated it was extremely important that their eventual homes promote independence of resi dents. In addition, they wanted a safe neighbor- hixxl and secure building, a place where pets are allowed and a place kxzated in a queer-friendly community with queer-sensitive service providers available. The survey reflects a general community consensus about the need for queer elder hous ing and care facilities, but it is in personal anec dotes that one can truly understand the need for this type of facility. Unfortunately, people and institutions do not miraculously become more tolerant as they age; in fact, quite the opposite is true. Wcxxls comments that when a care facility knows something about your lifestyle, it is much better equipped to ask appropriate questions and not, for example, assume that you are straight. This is particularly important when issues of health care come into play: “People need to be honest with their doctors in order to get gcxxl care. If they are afraid of the repercus sions of being out, they may not want to see the doctor. This has an impact on the quality of care if they aren’t able to be who they are.” JF1 For more information about SENIOR HOUSING and R etirement E nterprises visit
