Key Funding Area
Healthy Ageing for LGBTQIA+ Elderly
As aged care services continue to grow in Australia, the need for inclusive aged care practices grow along with them. LGBTQIA+ Australians are more likely to engage with aged care services if they have not had children or a community of support who can provide care for them as they age.
Homosexuality was only decriminalised in Tasmania in 1997, and same-sex marriage was only legalised in Australia in 2017. Many elderly LGBTQIA+ Australians have grown up in a far less accepting society than the one we have today.
Therefor, it’s important that aged care in Australia is provided with sensitivity to the experiences LGBTQIA+ elderly have faced with discrimination and prejudice in this country.
Pride Foundation Australia have funded large grants that work to increase the access to resources for LGBTQIA+ elderly Australians as well as improve inclusive practices within aged care facilities.
Funding granted to projects advocating for healthy ageing in LGBTQIA+ elderly
LGBTI Seniors and Residential Care Engagement Project
Aged and Disability Advocacy Australia
2016 | $5,000
To address the the need for increasing the sustainability of inclusive residential care services by consultaton, access to peer support and engagement with LGBTI elders.
Supporting older LGBTI Victorians to plan around end of life
Council of the Ageing (Victoria) + Transgender Victoria
2016 | $6,000
Development of an information resource to guide older TGD (and LGBTI) Victorians in end of life planning, and a survey of information needs to support targeted outreach with the resource.
Building knowledge and capacity of community nursing and aged care staff to work with TGD people
Bolton Clarke (formerly Royal District Nursing Service Ltd)
2015 | $5,000
To equip community nursing, allied health and aged care staff with general knowledge about health and wellbeing needs of TGD people, and, develop evidence based guidelines as a self directed learning tool to assist staff provide culturally appropriate and safe care.
Virtual visitor project
National LGBTI Health Alliance
2015 | $5,000
Testing the feasibility of wide scale on-line visitor scheme with LGBTI elders who are socially isolated and/or living along, using LGBTI peers as visitors.
Turn Up Your Voice
Helping Hand Aged Care
2014 | $5,000
The project aims to remove the invisibility of LGBTI people and their carers in aged care facilities by engaging them in the planning, delivery an evaluation of ageing and aged care policies, programs and services.
Val’s Café website
Rainbow Health Australia (Formerly GLHV), La Trobe University
2012 | $5,000
To improve the health, wellbeing, care and service provision for senior LGBTI people throughout Australia by development of “Val’s Café” website as a national resource hub for older LGBTI people and their service providers.
Academic Publications
Safeguarding The End Of The Rainbow: A guide to help LGBTI people to plan an end of life of their choiceMARCH 2018
Supporting Aged Care Workers to Understand and Respond to the Needs of Trans and Gender Diverse People: An Australian Co-designed Quality Improvement InitiativeMay 2018
Jaklina Michael, Lawrence Walsh , Sally Goldner , Tina Healy , Rosemarie Draper , Kylie Elder and Kate McLeod. Supporting Aged Care Workers to Understand and Respond to the Needs of Trans and Gender Diverse People: An Australian Co-designed Quality Improvement Initiative. Diversity and Equality in Health and Care (2018) 15(3): 116-121
