In the past couple of years, there has been a lot of talk about improving existing services for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender older adults, as well as creating new services that don’t currently exist for older adults. Recently there has been energy around creating subsidized housing for LGBT older adults. In addition, the Delaware Valley LGBT Elder Initiative, a group led by and for LGBT older adults and allies, has formed. The mission of this group is to foster and advocate for services and resources that are culturally competent, inclusive and responsive to the needs of LGBT elders.
Here at Public Health Management Corporation, we are adding to the momentum that has already started around collecting information documenting the experiences and needs of older LGBT adults. In March, we were funded to complete a health-needs assessment of older LGBT adults (age 55-plus) in Philadelphia. A needs assessment is simply a process where information on a specific topic is collected through focus groups, interviews, surveys and other means to help document the needs of a specific group of people. We realized that there was limited information on the experiences and health needs of older LGBT adults in our city, and that we could add to this movement by collecting some of that information to help advocates, service providers and policy makers improve services for seniors.
Through this needs assessment, we plan to collect information about a broad range of experiences older adults have in Philadelphia that can impact health. This holistic approach to health will include information about experiences LGBT older adults have had with medical care, emotional health care and social services. We will also work to document challenges and successes that LGBT older adults experience with health conditions, social supports and planning for their future health, as well as contributions LGBT older adults make to our communities.
For this project, we will be collecting information in three different ways: focus groups, individual interviews and a survey. First, we will hear some people’s stories in the interviews and focus groups; these are starting the first week of August. The surveys are less personal but will help us understand what is going on in the big picture. Surveys will begin by early October, and will be available both on paper and online. These will be distributed at events and organizations throughout the city, in addition to other methods.
Once all of the information is collected, the key findings will be summarized in a report, which will be accessible to the public and placed online for greater access. In addition, we will present the findings at a community event. The ultimate goal of this project is to provide more information on the health-related needs of LGBT older adults ages 55 and older in the city of Philadelphia. In addition, we hope the report will help enhance existing services and be an advocacy tool to help fill service gaps that currently exist for Philadelphia’s LGBT older-adult population.
We are scheduling focus groups and interviews now, so if you are interested in participating and are LGBT and aged 55 and older, please call us as soon as possible. For one-on-one interviews, it may be possible for an interviewer to come to you, so please don’t let mobility issues discourage you from participating. Compensation will be provided for persons who participate in the focus groups or interviews and all information will be kept confidential.
If you are not interested in participating in a focus group or one-on-one interview but would be willing to complete a survey, get in touch with us to give us your contact information. We will follow up with you when the survey is ready to make arrangements for you to complete it.
If you have any questions at all about this project or to be screened for participation, call 215-985-6248 or e-mail [email protected] as soon as possible.
Heather Batson and Lee Carson are research associates for Public Health Management Corporation, a nonprofit public health institute in Center City.