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Sobering article in The Canberra Times

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Sandy
 
Joined in 2007
January 8, 2010, 21:11

I’ve been thinking about this and I think the suffering of GLBT elderly people is threefold.


As GLBT people they are subject to homophobia, discrimination and prejudice. This occurs more so within insititions such as aged care facilities, hospitals or schools. This phenomena is not unique to elderly people but is experienced in varying degrees across the lifespan.


As elderly people they are subject to agism, discrimination and prejudice. In a world that exaults the healthy, able bodied male the structural and social inequalities faced are huge. Elderly people are less mobile, more prone to mental illnesses and disabilities such as dementia, tend to be poorer and over time have decreased cognitive abilities. Socially elderly people are seen as past their prime, forgetful, difficult, slow, vunerable, asexual and living in the past.


GLBT people also have a unique history of persecution and secrecy that I believe has a role here to one degree to another. Elderly people today lived through Stonewall, they could possibly have been jailed for being gay or lived in constant fear of being found out. They lived in a time where discrimination against them was legal and sanctioned. They did not have access to the resources that we do today and possibly suffered severe isolation. It would not be surprising to find out that they still have this fear and that it contributes to their continued isolation and anxiety.


I think it’s the combination of these things is what makes the plight of GLBT elderly people one which needs attention. It’s a fact that the suicide rates of GLBT are higher proportionally than those of elderly people generally. However, it should also be noted that elderly people in general have a high suicide rate when compared to the whole population.



Ann Maree
 
Joined in 2008
January 13, 2010, 20:48

In other cultures, it’s an honour to become an elder and the rest of the community recognises the wisdom that accompanies aging. It’s such a shame that it’s not like that here. How sad that suicide rates are higher for the elderly. I didn’t know that, Sandy. But then are they including euthanasia, which I class quite differently?

Ann Maree
 
Joined in 2008
January 13, 2010, 20:57

Hi Murrayd


On this subject of the disadvantaged elderly in our community, and in answer to my question of what we can do, you wrote (in the other post):


“Ann Maree

The answer is very hard as to what we can do. We can make a start by looking at friends who are aging and showing that we care for them.Inviting them for dinner. If we have transport take them for drives.Even a phone call from time to time can make a big difference. Thank you for your imput I have really enjoyed it.”


Well you have certainly raised my awareness of this issue and I am keeping a look out in my work for those older folk who are lonely and on the outer edges of society. Thanks for bringing this to our attention, murrayd.


Blessings to you,


Ann Maree

Sandy
 
Joined in 2007
January 13, 2010, 22:53

Anne Marie:


Yes the suicide rates for elderly people are fairly high, through I should be more specific and state that this is only for men. Statistics show that from middle adulthood onwards the number of women who suicide decreases and only about 4 in every 100 000 women over 85 suicide. For men the latter years from about 70 onwards shows a distinct jump from about 11 in every 100 000 to 19 in every 100 000. Most sociologists explain this suggesting that women are better at maintaining social connections, there is not as much cultural empahsis on ‘capacity’ or’doing’ for women as their is for men and so the loss of say the ability to work is less profound. There are also certain risk factors such as a history of depression, widowhood and isolation.


More information can be found on “Contemporary Issues in Gerontology: Promoting Positive Aging” which I’ll take the oppitunity to plug. 11.


As for GLBT people specifically the stats are mostly conjecture because so few people in the ‘elderly’ catagory are out. It’s a bit like the rape statistics, no one really knows for sure. Circumstantial evidence suggests however that given the high rates of suicide among elderly people (men in particular) and the high rates of suicide among the GLBT population (men in particular) that elderly gay people are doubly at risk and the rates are much higher than the stats show. I don’t think there has been a conclusive study on this topic in particular though I can see one happening in the future as homosexuality becomes more widely reciognised.


As for ‘assisted suicide’ or euthanasia it depends on the circumstances. People have gone to jail for the act of assisting someone to die and it is often classed as murder though not often punnished as serverly. Other times those who have assisted are not caught and it looks like suicide, other times its classified as a medical mistake or natural causes. Interestingly there is a place…in Switzerland I think that legally permits euthanasia after a rigrious selection process, it’s the only place like it in the world I think, there was a documentory on the ABC some time back. It’s a contentious issue and a hot topic of public debate.


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