Needs of the Aging LGBT Community in Israel

2019 ◽  
Vol 89 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-92
Author(s):  
Yitschak Shnoor ◽  
Ayelet Berg-Warman

Since the late 1980s, there have been changes in attitudes toward the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community in Israel. Nevertheless, the service system for the elderly is largely characterized by heteronormativity and relies on family members to help their elderly relatives. Goal: To examine the difficulties experienced by old LGBT people, particularly in receiving health and social services. Method: A total of 104 LGBT people aged 55+ years responded to a structured online questionnaire. Findings: Compared with the general elderly population, elderly LGBT people have fewer support networks, they tend to live alone, and suffer from tremendous loneliness. They are afraid of coming out to health and social service providers and of functional dependency, particularly due to their fear of disclosing their sexual orientation or gender identity, the barriers to receiving help, and the absence of family support to assist them.

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (29_suppl) ◽  
pp. 131-131
Author(s):  
S Timpet

131 Background: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) individuals make up an estimated 4% of the population, qualifying them as a sexual minority. LGBT individuals are also more likely to be a racial or gender minority, to live in poverty, and to have less social support than their heterosexual peers. LGBT populations are disproportionately affected by mental health issues such as depression, which are correlated not only with behavioral risk factors, but with less likelihood to comply with healthcare screening or treatment. Approximately 30% of LGBT adults do not seek health care services or lack a regular health care provider, compared with 10% of heterosexuals. Research studies demonstrate that knowledge about increased risks and need for screening is low in LGBT populations. Sub-populations are less likely to have had a recent mammogram, anal or cervical Pap, or a prostate exam. Methods: We implemented a population-oriented program into our community outreach team in 2019 to address LGBT cancer disparities. A program manager partnered with community resources and leaders, including the Cleveland LGBT Community Center, Plexus LGBT Chamber of Commerce, and Trans Ohio. First year programming included a mammogram clinic for sexual/gender minority (SGM) women, “Cancer is a DRAG” show, and a tobacco-free campaign for LGBT pride month. Results: Creating meaningful partnerships was extremely important to community leaders and organizations. Strategic plans include direct community input and engagement through a community council, in conjunction with the LGBT Community Center, a breast cancer awareness campaign, in conjunction with local entertainers, and a tobacco cessation program, through our Center for LGBT Care. We educated over 150 people and screened over 85 within the first year. Conclusions: When our healthcare institution met local LGBT people within their community, the result was quite impactful. This pilot program proved successful at educating members of the community about their increased cancer risk, which resulted in higher cancer screening rates for LGBT people. More programs tailored to LGBT-specific health concerns are important to continue reaching these populations and eventually decrease health disparities in the community.


1988 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Johnson ◽  
Jane Falkingham

ABSTRACTIn the United States, much attention has recently been directed to the issue of whether the welfare system has become over-generous to the retired population, at the expense of families with children. The proportion of the US elderly population living in poverty has fallen significantly in the last fifteen years while the number of poor children has increased rapidly, and it has been suggested that this lack of investment in the next generation of workers may have disastrous longterm consequences for the U.S. economy. This paper considers whether similar trends are evident in Britain. It reviews data on the poverty and income of the elderly population, and finds little unequivocal evidence of relative economic gain over the last two decades, although it is clear that many children have suffered from the recent rise in unemployment-induced poverty. It also looks at direct public expenditure on the elderly through both the pension and the health and personal social services systems, and finds no evidence of a transfer of public resources away from children and towards the elderly population. The paper concludes that the British welfare state has been remarkably neutral in its allocation of resources between generations, and that, in the British context, any discussion of inter-generational conflict for welfare resources establishes a false dichotomy, because economic inequality within broad age groups is much greater than inequality between age groups.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 331-356
Author(s):  
Ekker Saogo

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) in the past was something deviant, but nowadays it has become a trend that is even considered natural by many people. This of course has a sociological impact. There is a view that says that the behavior of LGBT people is a biological natural behavior, so it needs to be accepted as something that cannot be changed. Some theories agree that LGBT behavior is influenced by environmental, parenting, and economic factors so that there are pros and cons for LGBT people. This study aims to see the sociological influence of the LGBT community by using a literature review. The results of the study show that LGBT is contrary to the truth of God's creation, namely the clear separation of sex, namely male and female. Also, this is contrary to the design of marriage that God built, namely heterosexuality and monogamy.


Author(s):  
Andrew Proctor

As a group engaged in struggles for representation and inclusion, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people have vied for access to social and political power. There is little dispute that LGBT people are a relatively powerless group in society, but the extent to which the group is powerless is subject to debate in political science. Scholars disagree over the extent of powerlessness because the definition of power is contested among political scientists. As such, scholars have examined the powerlessness of LGBT people in varying ways and reached different conclusions about the success the group has had in achieving rights and visibility. LGBT powerlessness emerges from the group’s status as sexual and gender minorities. Over time, the boundaries that constitute the group have shifted in response to power asymmetries between LGBT people and cisgender, heterosexuals who control access to political and social institutions. In addition, power asymmetries have emerged within the LGBT community at the intersection of race, class, and gender as well as across subgroups of the acronym LGBT. Thus, the distribution of power and powerlessness vary within the group as well as between the group and dominant groups in society. These within- and across-group variations in power shape LGBT group boundaries, representation and public opinion, and voting behavior. The powerlessness of LGBT people must be understood in relation to these contingencies that define the group’s boundaries, and the ways in which power is distributed within and across groups.


1998 ◽  
Vol 172 (5) ◽  
pp. 429-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yvonne Forsell ◽  
A. Scott Henderson

BackgroundElderly people with paranoid symptoms are a taxing group for medical and social services, but studies of the prevalence of these symptoms in the general elderly population are rare. This study aimed to estimate the community prevalence and to identify some associated variables.MethodA community sample of 1420 elderly people, was extensively examined by nurses and physicians.ResultsParanoid ideation was found in 6.3% of the sample. The prevalence in people with cognitive dysfunction (n=381, 12.1%) was higher than in those without (n=1039, 2.6%). Once cognitive impairment had been controlled the associated variables were: being divorced, being female, having depressive symptoms, using psychotropic drugs, having no friends or visitors, using community care and being an immigrant.ConclusionParanoid symptoms in this elderly population were associated most strongly with cognitive impairment. Other associated variables pointed to a higher level of social isolation than others in the community.


2021 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-146
Author(s):  
Abhinav Garg ◽  
Vikas Gaur ◽  
Deepak Salvi ◽  
Aparna Garg

Background: The coronavirus pandemic is an epidemiological and psychological crisis. The elderly population is considered to be high risk for potential complications arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, and this fact can also potentially lead to anxiety symptoms amongst the elderly. Therefore, a study was conducted to assess the anxiety symptoms in elderly living in few major cities of Rajasthan state in India. Methods: The study was conducted from April 2020 to May 2020 using an online questionnaire which measured the levels of anxiety amongst the elderly population (age ≥ 65 years) living in the community via the GAD-7 (General Anxiety Disorder-7) scale. Responses were received from 162 participants. Data were analyzed using the Chi-square test and logistic regression. The level of statistical significance was kept at p value < 0.05. Results: Around 69.14% of the participants belonged to the age group of 65 -74 years; 61.72% of whom were male. Moreover, up to 82.72% of the participants were suffering from one or more chronic medical illnesses. Based on the GAD-7 scores, 30.25%, 12.35%, and 6.17% of the respondents were suffering from mild, moderate, and severe forms of anxiety, respectively. After applying a ≥ 5 score as a cut off score for the GAD-7 scale, 48.77% of the elderly participants were experiencing anxiety symptoms indicating further assessment. In those respondents with anxiety symptoms, significant association was observed with age (p = 0.00), sex (p = 0.04), and the zone of residence (p = 0.00). On the other hand, no significant association was observed with the presence of chronic medical illness such as Diabetes, Hypertension, COPD, etc. with anxiety symptoms (p = 0.77). Conclusion: This study has revealed a high prevalence of anxiety symptoms among the elderly population during the COVID-19 pandemic lock down. We recommend that a pre-planned strategy should be prepared for early identification of vulnerable elderly in the community who are at a greater risk of suffering from anxiety disorder under this stressful period.


Author(s):  
Mark R. Hoffarth ◽  
Gordon Hodson

Intergroup relations and contact between groups has historically been considered a mechanism to promote support for LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) rights. However, LGBT identities are often concealable, and stigma discourages members of the LGBT community from disclosing that they are LGBT, which may prevent contact. Some subsets of the LGBT population make up a small percentage of the overall population, which may also decrease the quantity of contact. As such, the process of coming out to friends, relatives, and coworkers has been a common strategy of the modern LGBT movement. The strategy could be effective because the intergroup contact literature has found support for intergroup contact decreasing prejudice in meta-analyses. At the same time, researchers have challenged the assertion that intergroup contact promotes social change because intergroup contact is sometimes negative, or may be impractical or avoided, positive attitudes can coincide with acceptance of inequality, and intergroup contact may have unintended negative side effects. Research has generally found support for the notion that intergroup relations are more positive when there is greater contact. For LGBT people greater contact has been associated with decreasing anti-LGBT prejudice and increasing support for LGBT rights. However, similar to other domains of contact, the influence of LGBT contact is contextually sensitive, and a combination of psychological and structural barriers can decrease or prevent the positive effects of intergroup contact. There are strategies which may overcome these limitations, through policies (e.g., protection against discrimination), promoting types of contact that promote social change as opposed to merely positive attitudes, secondary transfer of contact effects, imagined contact, indirect forms of contact, and positive media representations of LGBT people. Gaps in the literature include a relative lack of research on contact with members of the LGBT community other than gays and lesbians (particularly non-cisgender people), intergroup contact between members of different subsets of the LGBT community, and a need for experimental and/or intervention-based research.


Author(s):  
Gerald P. Mallon

According to U.S. census data, an estimated 270,313 American children were living in households headed by same-sex couples in 2005, and nearly twice that number had a single lesbian or gay parent. Since the 1990s, a quiet revolution has been blooming in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. More and more lesbians and gay men from all walks of life are becoming parents. LGBT people become parents for some of the same reasons that heterosexual people do. Some pursue parenting as single people and others seek to create a family as a couple; still other LGBT people became parents in a heterosexual relationship. Although there are many common themes between LGBT parenting and heterosexual parenting, there are also some unique features. Unlike their heterosexual counterparts, who couple, get pregnant, and give birth, most LGBT individuals and couples who wish to parent must consider many other variables in deciding whether to become parents because the birth option is not the only option.


1981 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
pp. 126-130
Author(s):  
Robert Morris

Examines the existing system of providing health and social services to America's elderly population and concludes that in the next few decades, much will have to be done to smooth out the continuum of services provided to this ever increasing group. He suggests five alternative approaches to achieve this goal: (1) deprofessionalization of some tasks in human service agencies, (2) alteration of the existing service mechanisms and systems, (3) major reconstruction of the existing system, (4) better preparation for retirement, and (5) improving the linkage between professionals and between agencies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 1893-1912
Author(s):  
Alex Toft

Abstract Coming out is best viewed in terms of a career with no discernible endpoint. Popular discourse and stage-based models which emphasise a linear phased approach tend not to accurately represent contemporary coming out experiences. Using data from interviews, focus groups and interactive workshops, this article explores the perceptions and strategies towards coming out by young disabled LGBT+ people. I suggest that viewing coming out careers as an identity management technique helps to shed light upon the relationship between intersecting identities and helps to examine the negotiations taking place, whilst teasing out how such identities impact and inform one another against the backdrop of misunderstanding. The stories of the participants also show that the framing of coming out as an imperative to living honestly and authentically was not a common experience. However, coming out to feel a sense of belonging within communities remains central to the perceived benefits. Coming out for the participants reveals tensions between their identities based on ableism and heteronormativity that led them to reconsider the viability and benefits of coming out. However, the participants revealed a challenging two-way relationship between the LGBT+ community and them as disabled people.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document