SF's East Bay senior facilities now training on LGBT issues

LGBT seniors are benefitting from training that’s now being give in San Francisco’s East Bay senior facilities. From the Bay Area Reporter: LGBT senior citizens are already benefiting from a cultural sensitivity initiative currently under way in the East Bay that specifically targets their needs. Lavender Seniors of the East Bay has partnered with the Center for Elders’ Independence and Salem Lutheran Home to develop a needs assessment and training program to improve services and care for LGBT seniors in Alameda County. “Studies have noted that LGBT seniors are among the most invisible and underserved populations in the country,” said Lavender Seniors Executive Director Dan Ashbrook. “They often don’t have the financial and familial support networks that others have. And then you add a deep-seated distrust of service providers that stems from a lifelong experience of discrimination.” The project, Growing an LGBT Senior Service Community, began in February with a needs assessment developed by Lavender Seniors in partnership with San Francisco consulting firm Gil Gerald and Associates. ]]>