Posts related to Home & Community-Based Services

Ward 8 and Washington, DC Celebrate MLK, Jr. Day

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by Darryl Walker
Board Member, Mary’s House for Older Adults, Inc.

maryshouse

It is fascinating to watch the demographic changes that have transpired in Washington, DC since World War II. Seventy years ago, our Nation’s Capital was predominantly White. Blacks lived in most of Northeast except the Brookland area, in Northwest around Florida Avenue and U Street, in all of Foggy Bottom, and in Southwest Washington. Neighborhoods west of 16th Street NW were red-lined where Blacks could not rent apartments nor buy property. The Anacostia neighborhood, which includes Ward 8, was totally White, as was Anacostia High School.

Following the.... Read More

             

Tailored to Their Needs: Housing for ALL Our Elders

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Housing is a critical need for elders across the board. On one hand, economic insecurity is an issue facing many LGBT elders and elders in communities of color. The Diverse Elders Coalition’s document, “Securing Our Future” [PDF] discusses what this issue looks like for diverse elder communities and includes policy recommendations. For these communities, senior housing often provides a low-cost alternative that can mean the difference between having a home or being on the street.

At the same time, senior housing settings provide the ability to create spaces and living arrangements that can better meet the cultural needs of specific communities. For groups that are linguistically isolated because of limited English proficiency, or for LGBT elders who would.... Read More

             

The Ins and Outs of LGBT Caregiving

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We, (those of us older than 50) are now finding out what Bette Davis knew, that “Old age ain’t no place for sissies.” Those of us who are also lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) may have additional challenges including homophobia and heteronormativity, which can send us running back to the very closets we fought so hard to leave, according to Stein and colleagues in a 2010 article in the Journal of Gerontology Social Work.

Recently I did a study with African-American lesbians and gay males. All study participants experienced a sense of alienation, in the African-American and majority-LGBT communities, described consistently as “a hurt that lasts a long time.” They also talked of a sense of not.... Read More

             

Recognizing and caring for our grandparents (National Grandparents Day) with a view towards the 2015 White House Conference on Aging

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Sunday, September 7, 2014 is National Grandparents Day. What a great opportunity to recognize those that have given so much love and support! Grandparents Day was established as a national holiday in 1978 as a way to recognize and value the contributions of our nation’s seniors. Our elders have often done much to support our families in economic, emotional and spiritual ways and yet these contributions are often overlooked and unappreciated.

In the years since the establishment of National Grandparents Day, there has been a grandparents boom with the numbers rising from 40 million in 1980 to 65 million in 2011 and an estimated 80 million in 2020. This “Elder Boom” is not a crisis but.... Read More

             

Five Reflections on Advocacy with Southeast Asian American Elders

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“Will immigration reform help me reunite with my grandchildren?”

 “My husband passed from cancer I wish there were more support services.”

 “We want to take care of our family in harmony.”

On Tuesday, March 26, 2013, 60 youth and elders spoke up with these comments and questions. SEARAC, alongside the Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia, held an advocacy day where the group met with the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, the federal agencies, and Congressional offices in Washington, DC.

It was incredibly inspiring this week to see elders speaking up, with local impact through the group of Cambodian-American elders we hosted, as well national as I followed coverage of the.... Read More

             

Recognizing Older Latinas During Women’s History Month

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March is National Women’s History Month. Recognizing the contributions older Latinas make is important, but it does not happen often enough in our society. The Hispanic older women that the National Hispanic Council on Aging (NHCOA) works with encourage others to contribute to their communities and provide inspiration for those looking for the right way to give. The theme for this year’s Women’s History Month is “Inspiring Innovation Through Imagination,” and the community leaders that NHCOA has trained live this theme on a daily basis.

Over the last several years, NHCOA has conducted Empowerment and Civic Engagement Training (ECET) and developed over 800 community leaders, the vast majority of them older adult women..... Read More

             

The Re-launch is here!

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Two weeks ago, we announced that we would be re-launching the Diverse Elders Coalition Blog.  Read here to find out more.

We are thrilled that this day has finally come. As we previously promised, in addition to our regular contributing bloggers, we will have exciting guest bloggers.  We will also display our content in a variety of different ways (e.g., pictures, videos, interviews, Top 5 columns, etc.) And much more! Have a suggestion? Contact us.

You can bookmark this page or subscribe to our RSS feed to stay updated. Check back on Wednesday to read our latest post, courtesy of National Hispanic Council on Aging (NHCOA). Until then, enjoy some highlights from.... Read More

             

We are Re-launching On March 18!

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The Diverse Elders Coalition (DEC) was founded in 2010, and in July 2012 we launched our official website, which also serves as a news and commentary blog on the social, political and economic issues affecting the growing yet vulnerable demographic of elders who are Black, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaska Native, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender (LGBT).In the last eight months, we have put out numerous posts on the issues that affect our communities and the creative ideas and best practices to address them. In the summer of 2012, we also released Securing Our Future: Advancing Economic Security for Diverse Elders, a resource that describes the issues facing elders of color and LGBT elders, who together will represent.... Read More

             

Honoring MLK Day of Service: How One Volunteer Gives Back to Her Community

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January 21, 2013 will mark the official Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Day of Service, empowering individuals and communities to come together and volunteer their time to get involved and give back. Americans are encouraged to help out where they can, whether it’s serving food at a soup kitchen or organizing a clothing drive for those in need. Together, we can begin to create solutions to social problems, moving us closer to Dr. King’s vision of a beloved community.

Shelly Montrose, an older African American lesbian from Harlem started giving back because of her friend. Read her story here.

.... Read More
             

LGBT Older Americans Cannot Afford to Go Over the Fiscal Cliff

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The following is a guest post by George Stewart, SAGE constituent.

Not long ago, the Washington Post reprinted a letter signed by a group of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) millionaires asking Congress to come to a resolution on the “fiscal cliff” by preventing across-the-board spending cuts to federal programs, preserving tax cuts for the middle class and allowing tax cuts for the wealthiest to expire.  As heartened as I was to see some LGBT voices in the public debate on economic issues, I wondered how many people know how the impending spending cuts will impact a vast majority of LGBT older people throughout the country—people like me.

I have spent much of my life looking for.... Read More

             

10 Considerations for Working with the Diversity of Older LGBT Latinos

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Effective outreach begins with a plan and developing a plan requires research. Yet, anyone trying to develop an outreach plan for older lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Latinos can quickly feel as if he or she is hitting one brick wall after another—there is simply a lack of resources dedicated to this community.  Sure, you may be able to find strategies on how-to engage seniors, LGBT youth or the Latino population at large, but these strategies do not speak to the unique experiences and challenges faced by older LGBT Latinos.

For those of you whose organizations are trying to better engage this community, you may simply need a place to start. You may wonder, “What are the most effective.... Read More

             

In-Language Assistance and AAPI Elders

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BY SCOTT PECK, DIRECTOR OF POLICY, NATIONAL ASIAN PACIFIC CENTER ON AGING

One of the most difficult challenges of low-income AAPI elders is the ability to access programs and services designed for their specific needs.  Critical is the ability to access in-language assistance to elders who are limited-English-proficient (LEP).  Limited English proficiency has profound effects on AAPI elders to access essential services and understand their rights and obligations.

For example:

A 2007 study conducted by the National Senior Citizens Law Center found that foreign language translators that assist with health plan inquiries, as required of health plan sponsors by law, were only able to serve.... Read More

             
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