Dr. Imani Woody |
August 2016
Why Mary's House. Again.
People
often ask, "Why do we need a place for LGBT old people to live? Don't
we have enough nursing homes and retirement homes for them to use?"
So
I often share the story of John, a well-to-do gay elder who was found
deceased - in his welcoming, upscale retirement complex, after five days
because he had ceased to interact with his friends. He had stopped
going to church. He had stopped playing cards and going to the clubs. I
sometimes share the sorrow of my older friend, Helen, who after the
death of her life partner, was asked to leave the home they shared by
her partner's siblings. And how she now lives with her brother, who she
says "harasses me for my gay lifestyle."
Aging
as a LGBTQ/SGL person can bring different challenges than aging as a
mainstream elder. Often, we don't have the same support network of
children and spouses [read care-providers and pensions]; we may be
estranged from our family of origin; we have lost many of our peers, our
friends through the HIV/AIDs epidemic; and we as a group are more
likely to live alone. In addition, research is verifying what many of us
have known for a while: that the stigma and discrimination associated
with being old and being LGBTQ/SGL can be just too hard. It can be so
hard in fact that many of us go back into the closet. As we begin to
access the senior/wellness centers, retirement complexes and nursing
homes, this fear of discrimination makes us unable to be our whole
selves, increasing the potential of drug and alcohol addiction, neglect
of our health issues, depression, and suicide. Increased social
isolation among LGBTQ/SGL elders is at an all-time high.
Mary's
House for Older Adults, Inc. was organized to create welcoming
environments for LGBTQ/SGL elders in their golden years. Our first major
initiative is building a physical residence in Washington, DC for 15
elders. However, we acknowledge that we cannot BUILD enough LGBTQ/SGL
welcoming spaces. So our mission includes training and education of the
staff and residents of existing spaces - senior/ wellness centers,
retirement complexes and nursing homes that serve and house us. We also
are involved in public policy advocacy that impacts LGBTQ/SGL older
adults and elders locally and nationally. We invite you to join our
small, mighty band of volunteers and help us CHANGE our City and the
Country, one residence at a time! Feel free to reach out to me at info@maryshousedc.org or complete a volunteer application http://www.maryshousedc.org/. I look forward to hearing from you!
Warm regards,
Dr. Imani
CEO Notes Archive
May 2016
May 2016