San Diego – The first attempt to assess the concerns and healthcare needs of San Diego County’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender senior citizens has been completed and reveals important implications for the region’s health and social service providers.

“The assessment clearly shows that, while LGBT seniors share many of the same concerns and needs as all seniors, there are important differences that affect these individuals’ ability to obtain needed services, including ageism, social discrimination and what we referred to as the ‘heterosexual assumption,’” said Jim Zians, project director.

Adults aged 65 and older currently represent one in six San Diego County residents, but by 2030 seniors will represent one in four residents, according to the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG). Best estimates of the GLBT population are based on research by Laumann et al (1994), which suggest that between 1.4 and 4.3 percent of women and 2.8 and 9.1 percent of men in the United States are defined as lesbian, gay or bisexual; these estimates increase for the 12 largest cities in the United States. Therefore, between 9,868 and 31,487 of the San Diego region’s seniors are GLBT.

To better understand the needs of this population in San Diego County, The California Endowment (TCE) provided $39,890 to fund the assessment, while Alliance Healthcare Foundation provided administrative and in-kind support.

Approximately 306 people countywide between the ages of 50-86 participated in the survey. More than one-third of the respondents were women, while GLBT seniors of color represented 14 percent of all respondents. The survey report emphasizes that GLBT seniors are less visible and have less of a presence than other senior citizens, who are often devalued and excluded because of their age. This is particularly true of GLBT seniors of color. The prevalence of ageism throughout America is a problem for seniors. GLBT seniors bear the additional social discrimination that often occurs as a result of their sexual orientation.

Another situation that negatively affects GLBT seniors is the insensitivity of health and social service providers who treat all clients the same, overlooking cultural, ethnic and sexual orientation as important considerations in developing or providing programs and services.

The survey’s key findings included: financial problems, especially among women, was the top concern; many felt poorly prepared for retirement, especially women; many had not prepared a will; those who were more open about their sexual orientation scored higher on measures of positive mental health status, life satisfaction, and social support than those who were less open about their sexual orientation.

The complete executive summary of the San Diego GLBT Senior Needs Assessment is available upon request or by visiting www.gaylesbiantimes.com and clicking on this article for a link to the Alliance website.