Welcome

Thank you for your genuine commitment to Aging with Pride: National Health, Aging, and Sexuality/Gender Study. We are nearly finished collecting surveys for the third year of Aging with Pride and have achieved an incredible 94% response rate.

The new information offers important insights about how different factors in real lives affect aging, health and well-being over time. As always, we are deeply grateful to our participants, community partners, and everyone who supports and follows our work.

All of our publications are available on the Publications page of our website, Age-Pride.org. We have collaborated with many of our community partner organizations recently, including a Forum for the American Society on Aging and a preconference at the Gerontological Society of America. We continue to work closely with communities to make older LGBTQ voices heard.

My best wishes,
Karen

Karen I. Fredriksen-Goldsen, PhD
PI, Aging with Pride: National Health, Aging, and Sexuality/Gender Study

NOTE: For more information and to be added to the Aging With Pride e-mail newsletter visit http://age-pride.org/, contact agepride@uw.edu or call us at 1-800-558-8703. It's easy to connect with Aging with Pride online. Follow us on Twitter, like our page on Facebook, and read our blog.

Aging with Pride News

LGBT aging is now being recognized as an important issue. In February, we published a 10-article supplement in the leading journal The Gerontologist. The articles are available at Age-Pride.org, with our other publications. Both The Gerontologist and Generations represent their first-ever special issues on LGBT aging.

Over 80 news articles about our study have been published in at least six languages in 2017, including in Forbes, US News & World Report, CBS News, and The Huffington Post. Links to these articles can also be found at Age-Pride.org. We worked to support the continued inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity questions in the National Survey of Older Americans Act Participants and the Annual Program Performance Report for Centers for Independent Living. Our research reveals that LGBT older adults have many strengths and critically unmet needs.

Update from a Community Partner: LGBT Aging Project of the Fenway Institute

Massachusetts Commission on LGBT Aging: In 2013 two LGBT advocacy organizations in Massachusetts, The LGBT Aging Project and MassEquality, called on lawmakers to create an LGBT Aging Commission to study and recommend ways to meet the unique needs of LGBT elders in the Commonwealth, which was signed into law in August 2013 by Governor Deval Patrick to establish the Special Legislative Commission on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Aging.

In September of 2015 the Commission released its report. Commission Co-Chair Senator Pat Jehlen said 'This first-in-the-nation state commission will provide a roadmap for giving our state's LGBT older adults the care that they deserve, and it is one other states can follow.' In 2016 the Commission was established as an ongoing entity and continues its work to implement the many recommendations developed in this comprehensive report. To view the report, visit: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/189/Senate/SD2441

Highlights from Our Recent Research

o LGBTQ older adults with a positive sense of self report better quality of life and health.

o Transgender participants have larger social networks but less social support than other participants.

o Bisexual older adults are at risk of mental and physical health challenges, partly related to lower incomes.

Work-related experiences of LGBT older adults, by sexual orientation, gender identity & age, %:

[ADD CHART]

Findings from: Fredriksen-Goldsen, K. I., Bryan, A. E. B., Jen, S., Goldsen, J., Kim, H.-J., & Muraco, A. (2017). 'The unfolding of LGBT lives: Key events associated with health and well-being in later life.' The Gerontologist 57(S1), S15-S29.

1 - Women includes cisgender and transgender lesbian, bisexual, and other.

2 - Men includes cisgender and transgender gay, bisexual, and other.

3 - Trans includes transgender women, men and other.

Aging with Pride: National Health, Aging, and Sexuality/Gender Study is the first ever federally-funded and largest ongoing national project designed to deepen our understanding of how various life experiences are related to changes in health, aging, and well-being over time for LGBTQ adults 50 years and older. Our community collaborators are Center on Halsted, FORGE Transgender Aging Network, Gay & Lesbian Services Organization, GLBT Generations, GRIOT Circle, LGBT Aging Project/The Fenway Institute, Los Angeles LGBT Center, Mary's House for Older Adults, Inc., Milwaukee LGBT Community Center, Montrose Center, Openhouse, SAGE, SAGE Atlanta/The Health Initiative, SAGE Metro St. Louis, Senior Services, Utah Pride Center, and ZAMI NOBLA.

Recommended citation: Fredriksen-Goldsen, K. I., Kim, H.-J., Sabin, J., & Goldsen, J. (2016). Aging with Pride: National Health, Aging, and Sexuality/Gender Study Spring 2017 Newsletter. Seattle, WA: LGBT+ National Aging Research Center.

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R01AG026526 (Fredriksen-Goldsen, PI). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Courtesy of Aging with Pride

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