Washington state lawmakers heard testimony last week on a bill to improve long-term care for LGBTQ+ seniors.
The legislation would require state nursing home workers and other long-term service providers to be trained in the needs of patients who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning.
The move in Washington is part of a growing effort among advocates to ensure LGBTQ+ resident rights.
Since 2011, Services and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Elders, or SAGE, has trained more than 13,000 individuals who work in more than 1,600 senior service agencies and long-term care settings. In California last fall, Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed into law a “Bill of Rights” for LGBTQ+ long-term care residents.
Patricia McIntyre of the group Generations Aging With Pride testified in favor of the Washington state the bill.
“When older adults who are LGBTQ+ fear or encounter discrimination,” McIntyre said, “often they may receive sub-par treatment and they’ll go back in the closet. They’ll go back in the closet or they’ll start to delay medical care. And that should be a concern to all of us.”
According to the national long-term care Ombudsman Resource Center, 27% of LGBTQ+ baby boomers have significant concerns about discrimination as they age. While incidents of abuse may be unreported, 89% of individuals responding to a Lambda Law survey felt staff would discriminate against an LGBTQ+ senior who was “out of the closet.”
The bill in Washington would require long-term care workers to go through at least one hour of training on the needs of the LGBTQ+ community. Most must complete a total of 12 hours of advanced training on various topics each year.
