[New York, NY] Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE), the country's oldest and largest organization dedicated to improving the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) older adults, today announced it has received the Grantmakers In Aging (GIA) Diversity Award for its work to identify and address the unique needs of LGBT older adults through direct service provision, coalition building and advocacy at the local, state and federal levels. The award will be presented at the Grantmakers In Aging 2011 Annual Conference on October 26-28 in McLean, Virginia, with SAGE Executive Director Michael Adams accepting the award.

"SAGE is proud to receive this year's Grantmakers In Aging Diversity Award," said SAGE Executive Director Michael Adams. "This award not only honors our work to improve the lives of LGBT older adults across the country, but also signals a greater understanding of the aging population's diversity and the need to work with and on behalf of elder communities that have been marginalized, invisible and historically underserved."

LGBT older people make up a significant share of America's growing 65+ population. The numbers of LGBT elders are expected to double in size over the next several decades, reaching more than 3 million by 2030. An increase in numbers means a growing need to focus on the unique challenges that can stand in the way of a healthy and rewarding later life for LGBT older people.

As with older adults in general, LGBT older adults face many challenges associated with aging: declining health, diminished income, the loss of friends and family and society's ageism. However, LGBT older adults often face the added burdens of invisibility, ignorance, and discrimination related to their sexual orientations and gender identities when accessing health care, social services, and most aging programs.

Founded in 1978, SAGE provides LGBT older adults with an array of innovative, comprehensive programs and services for LGBT older people both in New York City and across the country through its national network of 21 SAGE affiliates. These services include counseling, support groups, crisis intervention, caregiver respite, application assistance with public benefits such as Social Security and Medicare, work-readiness programming, and educational, recreational and social programming. SAGE is also the creator of the nation's first Friendly Visiting program for homebound and frail LGBT elders, the first LGBT Senior Drop-In Center, the first support group for LGBT older adults with HIV, and the country's only technical assistance resource center on LGBT aging: the National Resource Center on LGBT Aging.

Grantmakers In Aging is dedicated to promoting and strengthening grantmaking for an aging society, and is the only international professional organization of grantmakers active in the field. GIA established the Diversity Award to recognize national, regional, and local individuals, programs, and organizations that embrace diversity as a fundamental element in all levels of their work in aging. The first award was made in 2003. Previous recipients have included the Coalition of Limited English Speaking Elderly; the American Society on Aging; Meyling Eliash-Daneshfar, Manager of Latino Services, Alzheimer's Association, Los Angeles; and Connie Bremner, Executive Director of the Eagle Shield Senior Center, Blackfeet Nation Reservation.

SAGE (Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders) is the country's largest and oldest organization dedicated to improving the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) older adults. Founded in 1978 and headquartered in New York City, SAGE is a national organization that offers supportive services and consumer resources to LGBT older adults and their caregivers, advocates for public policy changes that address the needs of LGBT older people, and provides training for aging providers and LGBT organizations through its National Resource Center on LGBT Aging. With offices in New York City, Washington, DC and Chicago, SAGE coordinates a growing network of 22 local SAGE affiliates in 16 states and the District of Columbia. Learn more at sageusa.org and lgbtagingcenter.org.