“Generation Silent”: Facing the Needs and Challenges of LGBT Elders

For adults, 65 and older, aging can present numerous challenges, including the ability to maintain good  health. But for many of the nation’s estimated 3 million lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) elders, growing older may also mean facing very difficult choices, such as choosing to go back into the closet when entering an assisted living home or refusing to seek medical services to avoid potential discrimination.  

These issues will be among the topics addressed on Saturday,  April 2, when UNC’s School of Social Work hosts, “Breaking  Generation Silent: Facing the Needs and Challenges of LGBT Elders.” This Chapel Hill event, which is free and open to the public, kicks off at 1 p.m. at the William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education with a screening of the 2010 documentary, “Gen Silent.”   

This film has received praise from film festivals across the country and addresses the realities confronting many LGBT elders, including poverty, isolation, inadequate access to health and long-term care services and discrimination from aging providers. The one-hour film by award-winning director, Stu Maddux, also examines current efforts to educate and train providers and caregivers about the existence of LGBT elders — a population expected to double by 2030 — and their specific social, medical, and financial needs.  

For more information, go to http://ssw.unc.edu/diversity/about/aging and for another showing of the film on Friday, April lst, see http://www.lgbtcenterofraleigh.com/site/index.php.