Good evening
I sent out an email to various email lists recently and am letting you know via this blog that I am switching my blog to a new address which is as follows:
http://lgbtseniorhealthseattle.wordpress.com/
Please check it out. Some of the info may be resources/articles that you have already seen so please be patient while I upload new information as time goes by. Please consider signing up for my new blog by clicking on the "follow" button in the top right corner of the blog website.
Also, please forward and share with your co-workers and friends via email, twitter or Facebook.
Thanks so much for your support.
Sharon Hennessy, MSW
Monday, July 9, 2012
Friday, June 29, 2012
6/29/12-The Old Lesbian Oral Herstory Project
There is a wonderful organization in Houston, Texas, called "The Old Lesbian Oral Herstory Project" who states that they are about, "Gathering the Unique Stories of the Lives of Lesbians Born in the Early 1900s".
Website - www.olohp.org
Email -info@olhp.org
Address - PO Box 980422, Houston, TX 77098
They have compiled and published two books:
Book:
"A Gift of Age: Old Lesbians Life Stories"
Book:
"Without Apology: Old Lesbian Life Stories"
Please consider purchasing copies of these priceless gems. Also, please consider checking to see if your local library (e.g. Seattle, King, university, college, school, church etc) has a copy of each of these books, and, if not, please consider requesting that they purchase copies of these wonderful treasures). Thank you.
I found these books while visiting the PSOLOC (Puget Sound Older Lesbians Organizing for Change) while visiting the Seattle lbt health fair at Gay Pride. Thanks again to PSOLOC and also to Ingrid (who organized this) for being who you are...
Website - www.olohp.org
Email -info@olhp.org
Address - PO Box 980422, Houston, TX 77098
They have compiled and published two books:
Book:
"A Gift of Age: Old Lesbians Life Stories"
Book:
"Without Apology: Old Lesbian Life Stories"
Please consider purchasing copies of these priceless gems. Also, please consider checking to see if your local library (e.g. Seattle, King, university, college, school, church etc) has a copy of each of these books, and, if not, please consider requesting that they purchase copies of these wonderful treasures). Thank you.
I found these books while visiting the PSOLOC (Puget Sound Older Lesbians Organizing for Change) while visiting the Seattle lbt health fair at Gay Pride. Thanks again to PSOLOC and also to Ingrid (who organized this) for being who you are...
Lesbian Health-Loving Ourselves, Loving Our Bodies
Good evening,
Please take a gander ("look" - my English grandmother used to say this to me) at my latest other blog posting that I feel is still relevant seniors and their caregivers:
http://buddhistdykebabeseattle.blogspot.com/2012/06/62912-loving-ourselves-loving-our.html
Please take a gander ("look" - my English grandmother used to say this to me) at my latest other blog posting that I feel is still relevant seniors and their caregivers:
http://buddhistdykebabeseattle.blogspot.com/2012/06/62912-loving-ourselves-loving-our.html
Thursday, June 28, 2012
6/28/12 - LGBT Elder Resources & Study
I have just learned of some wonderful lgbt elder resources and studies:
1. National Resource Center on LGBT Aging
Website - www.lgbtagingcenter.org
This is a wonderful resource and is a project of Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE) in partnership with:
American Society on Aging
Brookdale Center for Healthy Aging and Longevity, Hunter College
CenterLink
FORGE Transgender Aging Network
GRIOT Circle
The LGBT Aging Project
National Association of Area Agencies on Aging
National Council on Aging's National Institute of Senior Centers
Openhouse
PHI
This is supported in part under a cooperative agreement from the US Dept of Health and Human Services, administration on Aging. Woo hoo! This means that the federal government is supporting our family with acquiring and maintaining our health as we age - it's a beautiful thing!
One of the resources that this group provides is a guide, "Inclusive Services for LGBT Older Adults: A Practical Guide to Creating Welcoming Agencies" which is designed to educate service providers about the unique barriers that LGBT older adults face, and also includes ways that every agency can foster an inclusive and welcoming environment for many diverse populations, including LGBT older adults.
You can email them at info@lgbtagincenter.org or download it from their website (listed above).
2. Senior Services of Seattle/King County - www.seniorservices.og
Address - Senior Information and Assistance
2208 Second Ave.
Seattle, WA 98121
Phone - 206-448-3110
TTY - WA Relay 7-1-1
info@seniorservices.org
This is a fabulous non-profit agency that is supported by United Way of King County investments.
Senior Information and Assistance is a great resource for offering support to King County seniors and their caregivers, and provides a full range of education, services and resources. Their goal is to maintain the independence, security and quality of life of seniors.
Advocates can meet with you in person, by email, by phone or people also have the option of going to the main website (listed above) which is a huge untapped goldmine resource.
I personally vouch for them as they provided some incredible and extensive support to me, as a lesbian, as my mother began her long weird and wonderful 11 year dance with Alzheimer's. They assisted me in finding 3 different homes for my mother, three different day centers, presenting her with the information she needed to feel comfortable moving out of her home, info on how to screen and hire caregivers, and also, a very kind listening ear. The two advocates that I found most sensitive to lgbtq issues (in my case being a lesbian caregiver with a very homophobic mother) were Sally Friedman and Daira Sawotchka. They are caregiving advocate gurus....
3. UW lgbt Caregiver Study - Caring for Partners
Website: www.caringforpartners.org
Email: info@caringforpartners.org
Toll Free Telephone: 1-800-410-8701
Local Phone - 206-744-9518
I met one of the coordinators of this UW study, Andrea Lahr, at the LBTQ Healthfair this last weekend and was really delighted to learn of this study. We have all either experienced first hand or heard stories of lgbtq people not having the best experiences with healthcare systems. The Caring for Partners program is a national study that addresses these concerns.
Study Outline:
There are many stories about LGBT individuals unable to visit with or make care decisions for their partners in health care facilities. The Caring for Partners study is hoping to learn ways to improve care and reduce discrimination for LGBT people. We need your help.
Who are we looking for? We would like to talk with you if you are a lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) person who had a partner who was very sick or injured in the last 5 years and stayed in a hospital or a health care facility. We would like to talk about your experiences making decisions about their care.
What happens if I agree to be in the study? We will ask a few questions to see if this study is a good fit for you. If it is, we will plan a time to talk with you. The interview may take place in person or by phone. You will receive $15 for your time. You will also be asked to fill out a short survey.
The Caring for Partners study is part of the End-of-life Care Research Program at the University of Washington. The study is funded by the National Palliative Care Research Center.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions.
Thank you!
1. National Resource Center on LGBT Aging
Website - www.lgbtagingcenter.org
This is a wonderful resource and is a project of Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE) in partnership with:
American Society on Aging
Brookdale Center for Healthy Aging and Longevity, Hunter College
CenterLink
FORGE Transgender Aging Network
GRIOT Circle
The LGBT Aging Project
National Association of Area Agencies on Aging
National Council on Aging's National Institute of Senior Centers
Openhouse
PHI
This is supported in part under a cooperative agreement from the US Dept of Health and Human Services, administration on Aging. Woo hoo! This means that the federal government is supporting our family with acquiring and maintaining our health as we age - it's a beautiful thing!
One of the resources that this group provides is a guide, "Inclusive Services for LGBT Older Adults: A Practical Guide to Creating Welcoming Agencies" which is designed to educate service providers about the unique barriers that LGBT older adults face, and also includes ways that every agency can foster an inclusive and welcoming environment for many diverse populations, including LGBT older adults.
You can email them at info@lgbtagincenter.org or download it from their website (listed above).
2. Senior Services of Seattle/King County - www.seniorservices.og
Address - Senior Information and Assistance
2208 Second Ave.
Seattle, WA 98121
Phone - 206-448-3110
TTY - WA Relay 7-1-1
info@seniorservices.org
This is a fabulous non-profit agency that is supported by United Way of King County investments.
Senior Information and Assistance is a great resource for offering support to King County seniors and their caregivers, and provides a full range of education, services and resources. Their goal is to maintain the independence, security and quality of life of seniors.
Advocates can meet with you in person, by email, by phone or people also have the option of going to the main website (listed above) which is a huge untapped goldmine resource.
I personally vouch for them as they provided some incredible and extensive support to me, as a lesbian, as my mother began her long weird and wonderful 11 year dance with Alzheimer's. They assisted me in finding 3 different homes for my mother, three different day centers, presenting her with the information she needed to feel comfortable moving out of her home, info on how to screen and hire caregivers, and also, a very kind listening ear. The two advocates that I found most sensitive to lgbtq issues (in my case being a lesbian caregiver with a very homophobic mother) were Sally Friedman and Daira Sawotchka. They are caregiving advocate gurus....
3. UW lgbt Caregiver Study - Caring for Partners
Website: www.caringforpartners.org
Email: info@caringforpartners.org
Toll Free Telephone: 1-800-410-8701
Local Phone - 206-744-9518
I met one of the coordinators of this UW study, Andrea Lahr, at the LBTQ Healthfair this last weekend and was really delighted to learn of this study. We have all either experienced first hand or heard stories of lgbtq people not having the best experiences with healthcare systems. The Caring for Partners program is a national study that addresses these concerns.
Study Outline:
There are many stories about LGBT individuals unable to visit with or make care decisions for their partners in health care facilities. The Caring for Partners study is hoping to learn ways to improve care and reduce discrimination for LGBT people. We need your help.
Who are we looking for? We would like to talk with you if you are a lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) person who had a partner who was very sick or injured in the last 5 years and stayed in a hospital or a health care facility. We would like to talk about your experiences making decisions about their care.
What happens if I agree to be in the study? We will ask a few questions to see if this study is a good fit for you. If it is, we will plan a time to talk with you. The interview may take place in person or by phone. You will receive $15 for your time. You will also be asked to fill out a short survey.
Can I do this anonymously? If
you want to participate without contacting us, you can fill out an
anonymous survey online. Because we will not know your name, we will
not be able to pay you for your time.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE IN THE STUDY:
Call us toll free: 877-749-3970
Email us: info@caringforpartners.org *
Visit our website: www.caringforpartners.org
Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/
*Please note we cannot guarantee the confidentiality of email. The Caring for Partners study is part of the End-of-life Care Research Program at the University of Washington. The study is funded by the National Palliative Care Research Center.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions.
Thank you!
Andrea Lahr, MSW
Thank you to Andrea and her colleague, Dr. Ruth Engelberg, for coordinating this study. It is long over due - much appreciated.
Thank you to Andrea and her colleague, Dr. Ruth Engelberg, for coordinating this study. It is long over due - much appreciated.
6/28/12-LBTQ Health Fair - Seattle 2012
Welcome back to my blog and sorry for the delay - I appreciate all of your patience (it's the lack of sun, you know, and then the sudden appearance of it that makes me want to write!). My Mother's former adult family home Romanian owner used to say, "Sharon, we carry the sunshine in our hearts" Bless her - so great to have found her for my Mother's last days.
The Fair - great to have the fair up on Broadway and Pine, but, perhaps another location that is more disAbility friendly and individual rooms for more privacy for individual visits with providers would be much preferable. I was really happy to see such a diverse group of providers, including more people of color staffing booths (I still feel that there needs to be a lot more of these groups at these events, including staff who are behind the tables who are people of color so that we can reach out to more people of color. Also, great to see people with disAbilities represented (big improvement), including a woman playing an organ (though perhaps it would be better to have this in a separate room as the loud noise can become distracting) and the MS Society. It would be great if we could have more groups that staff tables focused on people with disAbilites, as well, but I feel that we're moving in the right direction and this is positive change. Also, great to see PSOLOC (Puget Sound Older Lesbians Organizing for Change) and to meet some of their members at the event. Also, great to see SAGE/Senior Services at the fair and it was a pleasure to meet the director of PFLAG. However, the acoustics for the event were not good, it was not disAbility accessible and the signs were very very confusing. Also, the dance event didn't work too well for me because all of the participants who arrived to dance were all in their early 20s were obviously strong athletes and this can be intimidating for people who are older and/or have physical disAbilities. I would have preferred it if more of the people staffing tables could have been sitting at the tables more consistently, particularly Seattle Counseling Services, as there is such a high level of untreated substance abuse and mental health issues that the community is dealing with, and so much stigma when it comes to acknowledging this as well as actually following through with seeking help. As a suggestion, maybe there could be more dance classes offered, e.g. beginners, intermediate, advanced, and also done in a separate room instead of the main area. Also, some gentle yoga classes would be great. Also, how about some self-esteem building presentations. I don't know about everyone else, but, I'm more interested in going to presentations in which we can participate by responding to questions by the presenter. Also, how about having a presentation on empowerment on lbtq empowerment and maybe one on art therapy so we can expand the fair a little.
I'd also like to see more outreach to younger women as it seems to be almost always middle aged and older women at these events, and, after all, we are all part of the same family.
Overall, great job, and very nice with how it finished with the start of the Dyke March.
Thank you so much Ingrid!
The Fair - great to have the fair up on Broadway and Pine, but, perhaps another location that is more disAbility friendly and individual rooms for more privacy for individual visits with providers would be much preferable. I was really happy to see such a diverse group of providers, including more people of color staffing booths (I still feel that there needs to be a lot more of these groups at these events, including staff who are behind the tables who are people of color so that we can reach out to more people of color. Also, great to see people with disAbilities represented (big improvement), including a woman playing an organ (though perhaps it would be better to have this in a separate room as the loud noise can become distracting) and the MS Society. It would be great if we could have more groups that staff tables focused on people with disAbilites, as well, but I feel that we're moving in the right direction and this is positive change. Also, great to see PSOLOC (Puget Sound Older Lesbians Organizing for Change) and to meet some of their members at the event. Also, great to see SAGE/Senior Services at the fair and it was a pleasure to meet the director of PFLAG. However, the acoustics for the event were not good, it was not disAbility accessible and the signs were very very confusing. Also, the dance event didn't work too well for me because all of the participants who arrived to dance were all in their early 20s were obviously strong athletes and this can be intimidating for people who are older and/or have physical disAbilities. I would have preferred it if more of the people staffing tables could have been sitting at the tables more consistently, particularly Seattle Counseling Services, as there is such a high level of untreated substance abuse and mental health issues that the community is dealing with, and so much stigma when it comes to acknowledging this as well as actually following through with seeking help. As a suggestion, maybe there could be more dance classes offered, e.g. beginners, intermediate, advanced, and also done in a separate room instead of the main area. Also, some gentle yoga classes would be great. Also, how about some self-esteem building presentations. I don't know about everyone else, but, I'm more interested in going to presentations in which we can participate by responding to questions by the presenter. Also, how about having a presentation on empowerment on lbtq empowerment and maybe one on art therapy so we can expand the fair a little.
I'd also like to see more outreach to younger women as it seems to be almost always middle aged and older women at these events, and, after all, we are all part of the same family.
Overall, great job, and very nice with how it finished with the start of the Dyke March.
Thank you so much Ingrid!
Saturday, April 21, 2012
4/21/12 - LGBT Elders Movie & Fun Songs
Good morning and Happy Earth Day!
Here's some wonderful youtube videos about the lgbtq experience:
2. The Gentlemen's Rant: Homophobia:
3. The Homophobia Song by Katie Goodman's Band:
Special screening of "10 More Good Years" - Seattle
Saturday evening (April 21st)
Location - Lobby Bar
Address - 916 East Pike Street Seattle, WA 98122
| (206) 328-6703 |
Movie - screening of the award-winning documentary 10 More Good Years. This documentary explores the unique challenges that LGBT elders are currently facing, such as the process of aging alone, without financial stability and often finding the need to "re-enter" the closet.
The director of the film, Michael Jacoby, will be in attendance at this free event and will be available for a meet and greet after the screening.
http://allevents.in/Seattle/ 10-More-Good-Years-Public- Screening-and-Discussion-of- LGBT-Elder-Issues/ 330977200292445
http://www.10moregoodyears. com/
http://thelobbyseattle.com/
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
4/18/12 - GLBTQ Legal Clinic
One of the concerns that lgbtq people experience as we age is preparing for our later years and this includes preparing the legal documents of a Power of Attorney, Health Directive, POLST, domestic partnership and will. This is particularly important for lgbtq folks because of the discriminatory laws in various states as well as federal laws.
However, we are fortunate to have the GLBT Legal Clinic here in Seattle which is part of the GLBT Bar Association Foundation of Washington and the King County Bar Association Neighborhood Legal Clinics. This Clinic has a mission to provide GLBT friendly and knowledgeable volunteer attorneys to listen to your legal concerns.
They state that they provide clients with a half hour of free one-on-one legal help on topics including:
1. Job discrimination and harassment
2. Adoption and surrogacy
3. Transgender legal issues
4. Debt and bankruptcy
5. Relationship protection
6. Relationship dissolution
Times Available - The GLBT Clinic is held between 7.00 P.M. and 9.00 P.M. on the third Thursday of each month, my appointment only.
To schedule an appointment, please call 206-235-7235. A coordinator can be reached, and calls will be returned on Tuesdays between 12.00 P.M. and 3.00 P.M.
www.q-law.org/legalclinic
However, we are fortunate to have the GLBT Legal Clinic here in Seattle which is part of the GLBT Bar Association Foundation of Washington and the King County Bar Association Neighborhood Legal Clinics. This Clinic has a mission to provide GLBT friendly and knowledgeable volunteer attorneys to listen to your legal concerns.
They state that they provide clients with a half hour of free one-on-one legal help on topics including:
1. Job discrimination and harassment
2. Adoption and surrogacy
3. Transgender legal issues
4. Debt and bankruptcy
5. Relationship protection
6. Relationship dissolution
Times Available - The GLBT Clinic is held between 7.00 P.M. and 9.00 P.M. on the third Thursday of each month, my appointment only.
To schedule an appointment, please call 206-235-7235. A coordinator can be reached, and calls will be returned on Tuesdays between 12.00 P.M. and 3.00 P.M.
www.q-law.org/legalclinic
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