Community
12 March, 2022
New service to help older LGBTI+ people access aged care services
Cairns has been chosen as one of two new sites nationally to trial the Aged Care System Navigators program, specifically to assist older Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Sistergirl and Brotherboy people to access aged care services.
In association with Council of the Ageing (COTA), the Queensland Council for LGBTI Health commenced the Cairns program in November 2021, which aims to assist older LGBTI+, Sistergirl and Brotherboy locals, who may otherwise be reluctant or unable to access aged care services.
Chief Executive Officer of the Queensland Council for LGBTI Health, Rebecca Reynolds, said that people within the LGBTI+ community were fearful of accessing aged care services.
“Despite being eligible for aged care services, some Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Sistergirl and Brotherboy people are hesitant to initiate support for a range of reasons,” Ms Reynolds said.
“Those reasons are sometimes related to the history of discrimination or not having the support to work through the complexity of the aged care system.
“Older LGBTI+, Sistergirl and Brotherboy people have lived through the period when homosexuality was illegal in Australia, and for some, the impact of unjust and highly damaging systems creates a lasting impact.
“Sistergirls and Brotherboys (and other LGBTI+ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people) have also faced added system bias throughout their lives and are hesitant to invest more time and energy into a system that has held negative experiences in the past,” she said.
“The navigator program team understands this history and experience and will work alongside our older community members to build their capacity to facilitate access to quality services.”
The Aged Care System Navigator program is designed to help people know what services are available, better understand how to access the services, and feel more comfortable in the assessment process.
“We know that some older LGBTI+, Sistergirl and Brotherboy people have limited support from family and friends as they grow older, and we are keen to assist local older people with accessing services that suit them best,” Ms Reynolds said.
“Cairns has a good range of aged care services, and we are also keen to assist these services in how to provide LGBTI-friendly services to locals better.
“Friends and family of older folk in the region can also contact the service on their behalf to create the opportunity for a conversation about resourcing and assistance.”
Ms Reynolds said that a focus on Aged Care is not new to the Queensland Council for LGBTI Health.
“This role builds on work we commenced with the Cairns LGBTI+ community some years ago, and we remain committed to growing,” she said.
“We are very much looking forward to working with older LGBTI+ locals in providing this much-needed support in many ways, including the reopening of our Cairns offices in the middle of this year.
“The combination of system navigation and on the ground resources and support will provide a much-missed linkage point for our Cairns communities again.”
The LGBTI Aged Care System Navigator in Cairns, Gary Hubble, can be contacted on 0434 131 916.
For other aged care system navigator services phone COTA on 1300 268 228 or visit www.myagedcare.gov.au
