Gauging Government

SAGE Celebrates Launch of National Resource Center on LGBT Aging

On Monday, June 14, Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE) will celebrate the launch of the National Resource Center on LGBT Aging in its Manhattan offices. The Resource Center is the first of its kind and will provide training on LGBT issues to mainstream service providers for aging and on aging concerns to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) agencies nationwide. It will also offer critically important educational tools to LGBT older people.

Earlier this year, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and the Administration on Aging awarded SAGE and 10 partner organizations from around the country a historic grant to establish the National Resource Center on LGBT Aging.

“We are living in an unprecedented time, especially for caregivers, healthcare facilities and communities that serve LGBT older adults,” says Michael Adams, executive director of SAGE, the world’s largest and oldest organization dedicated to improving the lives of LGBT older adults. “Our country is witnessing the first generation in history to live and age more openly as LGBT people—going into the closet to access vital services isn’t an option.”

The National Resource Center on LGBT Aging will provide tools and resources to assist communities across the country in their efforts to provide services and support for older LGBT adults. It will also aid LGBT people in planning for their own long-term needs. In the fall, the Resource Center will launch a Web site that will begin providing vital information to these audiences to ensure that LGBT older adults are supported in all parts of the country.

— Source: Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders