News
2006-03-16
Study: LGBT
seniors face discrimination in care
Many LGBT seniors
face more difficulty in obtaining appropriate medical
care than their heterosexual counterparts.
Backing up
anecdotal evidence of the discrimination many gay and
lesbian seniors experience across North America, a new
Canadian study has found that they do in fact face
more difficulty in obtaining appropriate medical and
other care than their heterosexual counterparts.
According to the study, from McGill University in Montreal,
one reason may be that they are fearful about
seeking care, reports the CanWest News Service.
"There's a strong mistrust and fear of the
system, and [gay and lesbian elders] are very hesitant
to seek out services," Shari Brotman, a professor at
McGill's school of social work, said at a news
conference on Tuesday. She added that "in the absence of
formalized training or a set of standards in caregiver
organizations, it leaves it wide open for the
caregivers' ignorance and prejudices to come shining through."
Among the troubling stories unearthed by the
four-year study, based on 90 interviews with seniors,
caregivers, and other providers in Vancouver,
Montreal, and Halifax, are a caregiver who sought to "rid" a
patient of homosexuality by imposing her religious beliefs
and a doctor who was disgusted upon discovering his
patient was gay.
Researchers also found that many LGBT seniors in
Canada want to move to Montreal as they get
older for its more liberal atmosphere. (The
Advocate)
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