Mental Health and LGBTQ Seniors – Georgia Voice – Gay & LGBT Atlanta News

There are 1.5 million LGB adults ages 65 and older in the United States. Aging brings with it many mental health challenges for all seniors—but for these LGB, trans, and gender nonconforming seniors, mental health is an even more pressing issue.

Due to lifetime discrimination, older LGBTQ people are more likely than their heterosexual cisgender counterparts to lack adequate community support, adequate healthcare, and financial security, putting them at higher risk for mental health issues, according to a report from SAGE. Older LGBTQ people are at higher risk of depression and anxiety and of experiencing social isolation. Thirty-nine percent of older LGBTQ people have had suicidal thoughts during their lifetime, and 31 percent show symptoms of depression—two to three times more than the general older population in the U.S. These rates are even higher for older transgender people: 48 percent have had symptoms of depression, and 71 percent report having had suicidal thoughts in the past.

The workplace discrimination that today’s seniors have experienced in the past may have made it harder for them to find steady employment and save for retirement and old age. Discrimination in healthcare often leads to a persistent distrust of mental health professionals and other health care providers – making it harder for older LGBTQ people to seek health care.

“We have seen that a history of discrimination and stigma has often led to higher unemployment rates,” said Sherrill Wayland, Senior Director of Special Initiatives and Partnerships at SAGE, Georgia Voice. “We know that historically, LGBTQ older adults have not had protections against job loss. So when we think about our oldest LGBTQ seniors, they grew up in a time when there was no protection against job loss, when it was very common for people to be fired because they identified as (LGBTQ), or not to be hired in the first place because people may have made assumptions about their sexual orientation and gender identity. Those factors lead to higher unemployment rates and not being able to save money, which in turn can lead to higher housing and food insecurity… If you have stable housing, then your mental health and your health overall are more likely to be strong.”

The anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and legislation that has increased in recent years and increasingly targets LGBTQ youth is also having serious impacts on the mental health of older LGBTQ people.

“We’re seeing so much anti-LGBTQ rhetoric in politics and so many bills that are targeting LGBTQ people,” Wayland said. “We know that these bills and things that we’ve seen across the country are primarily targeting our youth, but we also know that it’s negatively impacting our older adults. So when we see this negative LGBTQ rhetoric in politics, it’s impacting both our youth and our older adults. For older adults who have had lifetime experiences of discrimination, stigma and potentially violence, it can be traumatic. It can be almost like post-traumatic stress disorder.”

SAGE combats these particular mental health stressors by providing resources to seniors in the LGBTQ community to help them find reliable housing and financial support. The company also recently launched HearMe, an app that connects seniors with someone who will listen to them.

“HearMe is one of our newer programs,” Wayland said. “It’s owned and operated by LGBTQ people. The program is really there to give someone that feeling of support. Someone who is registered for the program can text the HearMe number and they’ll be connected with a volunteer who is there to really listen to their concerns.”

For many older people who increasingly face social isolation, loneliness and even trauma in response to widespread homophobia and transphobia, the connection offered by HearMe makes a huge difference.

“What we see from the data is that at the end of the conversation, people report that their mood is better,” Wayland said. “That connection alone has a positive impact on their mental health.”

LGBTQ seniors struggling with a serious mental health crisis are urged to call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 for immediate help. To find resources for seniors and sign up for HearMe, visit sageusa.org.