Some Best Practices Around the World for LGBTI+ Elders-II: “Age UK”
12/03/2024 | 17 Mayıs
The second best practice to be analyzed herein as a part of such advocacy activities*, is the “Age UK” from UK.
The LGBTI+ Aging Studies Programme has aimed to share with its readers every month between February and May 2024, 4 of some best practices around the world for LGBTI+ elders that have not been included before in 3 different publication that it has prepared within the scope of its different studies in different years since its establishment and it published its first news in that regard last month.
The second best practice to be analyzed herein as a part of such advocacy activities*, is the “Age UK” from UK.
Age UK is a non-governmental organization, working to highlight the specific needs of groups within society, including elder LGBT+ persons and their experiences of care, and what can be done to improve those experiences.
Age UK is a huge organization on elders and its website acts as an information and advice hub for many of the issues and challenges relating to growing older in the UK, and it's visited by millions of people every year. Knowing that no two elder persons are the same, they try to reflect the diversity of people's experiences of later life as something they try to keep at the heart of the information they provide. Since it is not possible to generalize the needs of all elder LGBT+ persons, but understanding individuals’ needs and histories and what that might mean for their health and care needs will be key to delivering true personalized care and ensuring the reduction in health inequalities faced by elder LGBT+ persons. Therefore, with this urge, on 28 June 2019, at the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, they develop a LGBTI+ section on five central themes: LGBT+ rights; dealing with discrimination; health and wellbeing; staying connected; issues affecting trans people. They now have Age UK Advice Line as free, confidential, national phone service for all elder persons. Also, there are local social groups for elder LGBTI+ persons run by LGBTI+ persons as the following: Age UK Durham & Oldham, Age UK Manchester, Age UK Nottingham & Nottinghamshire where they provides wide range of services, events, activities and information and advice services designed to meet the needs of specifically elder LGBTI+ persons; such as arts & crafts, bereavement support groups, Bike Library: free bike loan service; dementia therapies & activities; digital inclusion: access online services safely; exercise classes for all abilities; falls prevention: for strength & balance; gents breakfast clubs; healthy lifestyle support; help at home: gardening & DIY tasks; information and advice - free & impartial advice from qualified workers; intergenerational work; IT courses: using iPad, tablets, laptops; lunch clubs; mental health and wellbeing support; occupational therapy to improve mobility; pre-frailty support; scam awareness; volunteering opportunities & woodcrafts.
* These advocacy studies of LGBTI+ Aging Studies Programme planned between February and May 2024 will be hold within the scope of the "Advancing the rights of LGBTI+ in Turkey" project supported by ILGA Europe.