3. IMPROVING HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES FOR LGBT OLDER ADULT S
PROBLEM 3: LGBT SENIORS LACK INFORMATION AND ENROLLMENT SUPPORT FOR SOCIAL SERVICES, FINANCIAL SUPPORT, BENEFITS COUNSELING, LEGAL ADVOCACY, AND HEALTH INSURANCE ACCESS. SOLUTION 3: DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT AN INFORMATION , REFERRAL, ENROLLMENT ASSISTANCE, AND CASE MANAGEMENT REFERRAL PROGRAM THAT PROVIDES A SINGLE PLACE FOR LGB T SENIORS TO RECEIVE INFORMATION, REFE RRAL, AND ENROLLMENT ASSISTANCE FOR A WIDE RANGE OF AVAILABLE SOCIAL SERVICES AND HEALTH CARE.
A common theme emerging from surveys, focus groups, and other research involving LGBT seniors is the need for more information about social service availability, financial support, benefits counseling, legal advocacy, and health insurance access. In addition, LGBT senior participation in a range of DAAS programs is significantly lower than expected, and one of the most common reasons given by LGBT seniors for not using services is difficulty in accessing them (Jensen, 2012; Fredriksen-Goldsen et al., July 2013). The Task Force believes that a geographic based system such as the city’s Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs) does not adequately address the needs of the senior LGBT population in San Francisco. More than 12% of San Franciscans over 60 are estimated to be LGBT, one of the highest LGBT percentages in the country. Yet they underutilize public programs compared to their non-LGBT counterparts in a wide range of services (Jensen, 2012). Moreover, the absolute numbers of LGBT seniors will grow as boomers age into retirement, creating increased demand over time. A basic role of government is to provide equal access to services to all residents, and to remove barriers to that access wherever possible – in this instance to minimize the discrepancy between LGBT and non-LGBT residents in terms of access to services. The Task Force’s 2013 study showed that more than 20% of respondents reported needing but not using each of the following services: health services; health promotion; mental health; housing assistance; case managers; telephone/online referrals; and, meals programs/free groceries (Fredriksen-Goldsen et al., July 2013). In addition, an analysis of the 2011 San Francisco City Survey data indicated that over 30% of LGBT seniors needed assistance in getting benefits such as Medicare as compared to 20% of non-LGBTs (Jensen, 2012). The extent to which LGBT seniors themselves recognize that they are not accessing, yet need, assistance is
LGBT Aging at the Golden Gate: San Francisco Policy Issues and Recommendations (March 2014)
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