Caregiving - a study of GLBT caregiving
experiences
National Gay and Lesbian Task
Force Policy Institute
2004
[Abstract] Full Text PDF
Nearly half of lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender (LGBT) individuals over 50 are heavily involved in caregiving,
both for members of the families they grew up in and for same-sex partners and
close friends, according to a new study by the National Gay and Lesbian Task
Force Policy Institute, Pride Senior Network, and the Fordham University
Graduate School of Social Service. In fact, GLBT people over 50 may actually
be caregivers at a higher rate than their counterparts in the general
population.
The largest-ever study of older GLBT people's
caregiving experiences, "Caregiving Among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and
Transgender New Yorkers" was released by the Task Force Policy Institute at
the SAGE National Conference on Aging in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and
Transgender Communities, held at New York University on June 18 2004. (Caregiving
is the extensive, hands-on help with the tasks of daily living for the very
sick or frail.)
Far from shying away from family
responsibilities, this study shows that GLBT people are equally if not more
devoted to family members and loved ones in need.
Forty-six percent of the 341 GLBT New Yorkers
(USA) surveyed had been caregivers at the time of the survey or in the
previous five years, greater than the 44% rate among people over 50 in the
general population, as estimated by the AARP. The average length of a
caregiving episode among survey respondents was eight years: among the general
population in the United States, the average length of a caregiving episode is
only 4.3 years.
The findings underscore what we have learned
from both caregivers and care recipients in the GLBT community," said Terry
Kaelber, executive director of SAGE, Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders.
"Ours is a community with a strong history of caregiving to both our
biological and our chosen families. To provide care on a regular basis can be
an overwhelming responsibility and there simply are not enough support
mechanisms in place for those people in a caregiving role.
More than one-third of the caregiving
respondents said that their non-GLBT siblings expected more of them when it
came to providing care for older relatives precisely because they were GLBT .
Nearly one-quarter (22%) of respondents provided assistance to a blood
relation for reasons ranging from Alzheimer's to the frailty that comes with
old age. More than two-thirds of those providing such care were primary
caregivers for that family member. Half provided assistance daily, and another
24% several times a week.
Another quarter (24%) had been caregivers for
same-sex partners or close friends. Fifty-eight percent of those had provided
assistance on a daily basis; 23% provided care several times per week. (Other
key findings appear at the end of this release.)
In spite of this, some respondents were
unable to be open about their own sexual orientation with other family
members. Not surprisingly, nearly three-quarters of the caregivers in this
study reported high levels of emotional stress related to caregiving, and
respondents were six times more likely to report feeling depressed than the
population as a whole.
Worse, key policy frameworks that support
caregivers - such as the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, Social
Security, and Medicaid, as well as most state family leave programs -
discriminate against same-sex partners who need to care for their loved ones.
"Government agencies serving elders should
target funding to the GLBT community, just as they target ethnic
minority elder populations," said Marjorie Cantor, professor emeritus at
Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service and a principal
investigator of the study.
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
Policy Institute is a think tank dedicated to research, policy analysis and
strategy development to advance greater understanding and equality for
lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.
SAGE, Services and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian,
Bisexual and Transgender Elders, is the nation's oldest and largest social
service and advocacy organization dedicated to gay, bisexual and transgender
seniors.
Some Additional Findings in Caregiving Among
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender New Yorkers:
One in five caregivers surveyed relied on a
member of the clergy for emotional support around issues related to caregiving.
In contrast, less than 1% of family of origin caregivers, and approximately
15% of family of choice caregivers, relied on a GLBT community
organization for support.
At least one-third of caregivers said that
the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community had a key role to
play in providing support to LGBT caregivers. When asked why the GLBT
community should help its senior members, most respondents said that the
community was best at caring for its own, reflecting an underlying belief in
the persistence of discrimination.
The LGBT community-based services in which
the respondents were most interested themselves were counseling (26%),
retirement or assisted living communities (19%), visiting services (19%), and
assistance with day-to-day tasks (14%).
One in five respondents had children of their
own, and 7% were grandparents. Forty-six percent of the respondents were
between 50 and 59; 35% were between 60 and 69; 19% were 70 and older.
Fifty-two percent of the respondents were single; 40% were partnered.
Today, the population of GLBT seniors in
America is just under three million. By 2030, as GLBT baby boomers head into
their sixties and seventies, it could be nearly twice that.
Citation: Task Force
