What does the service offer?
LGBT Age is Scotland's first service supporting older LGBT people. There are only three qaulifying criteria to make use of this service. You should be:
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over 50 years old
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living in Edinburgh, Midlothian, East or West Lothian, whether in your own home, sheltered housing or a care home
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identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender to yourself; it doesn't matter at all whether you have ever told anyone else about this.
The service offers support to LGBT people over 50 in a number of ways:
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Social opportunities
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Befriending scheme
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Information service
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Advocacy service
1) Social Opportunities
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LGBT Age will be introducing a programme of social events specifically for people over 50, offering the chance to meet up with your peers and expand your social networks. The programme will be put together with input and suggestions from older LGBT people; all suggestions welcome. Details of forthcoming events will be included in the LGBT Centre programme and website, as well as in due course in LGBT Age's own newsletter.
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2) Befriending Scheme
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LGBT Age will offer support where each person who would like a befriender will be matched with a trained volunteer. This volunteer will be offering their time to build a relationship with just one older person. This means there is the opportunity to get to know each other well and develop a mutual bond of trust.
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The benefits of befriending have been well documented - it offers a unique friendship where the individual can offload and consult with the confidence that their befriender is a seperate part of their life. All befrienders will be trained to understand the importance of keeping what's been shared with them confidential within strict guidelines.
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Anyone using the service will be able to choose their befriender from those available, so that they can look for either similarity in personality and interests, or particular gender, age, or LGBT identity if they wish.
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If you have a befriender, you decide how you and your befriender spend time together - it could be anything from a nice chat or helping you with a hobby to company for an outing or support to access services.
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In addition, you can choose the venue for meeting up. The befriender can come to your home or you can meet somewhere else if you prefer.
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3) Information Service
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LGBT Age will be offering an information service on age-related issues with a particular LGBT focus - for example making a will, accessing social care, pensions, health services and housing. The project will be working with other information and advice providers to develop resources and expertise and will build up information resources it will make available online.
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The service will also respond to email enquires from individuals, whether face-to-face, by phone or by email, and will be able to signpost to LGBT support and to mainstream services, including those that have been shown to be LGBT-friendly.
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4) Advocacy Service
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LGBT Age will offer an advocacy service to for older LGBT people. The advocacy service will support individuals to challenge discrimination or poor treatment, or simply support people in expressing their views, needs and feelings and helping to ensure these are taken into account.
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The advocacy service will recruit and train volunteers with relavent experiance as advocates.
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An advocate will listen to you and try to understand your situation from your point of view. An advocate can then:
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Work alongside you to support you in finding the best possible outcome to your situation
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Help you to find things out
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Help you to write letters or make phone calls on your behalf
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Come to meetings with you and, if you want them to, speak on your behalf
As well as working to support individuals, LGBT Age will also be working with mainstream social care, health and housing providers to raise awareness of issues in relation to LGBT ageing and ensure that the needs of older LGBT people are met in a culturally sensitive and appropriate manner.
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If you or someone you know is interested in accessing LGBT Age services, please get in touch with Garry McGregor, LGBT Age Coordinator to arrange an informal chat about how we could help you as an individual. We look forward to hearing from you.
Garry McGregor
LGBT Age Coordinator
LGBT Centre for Health and Wellbeing
9 Howe Street
Edinburgh EH3 6TE
Telepohne: 0131 523 1107 (Direct line) / 0131 523 1100 (General office)
Email: garry@lgbthealth.org.uk
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