RECORDING: Aging with Pride: Supporting LGBTQ2S+ Seniors in Alberta

Zoom Session - August 20, 2020 - 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. 

Recording is attached in this CORE post as a FILE. The a copy of the presentation can be downloaded below.  

The Ministry of Seniors and Housing in collaboration with community organizations recently published Aging with Pride: A Guide to Creating Inclusive Services for LGBTQ2S+ Older Adults. The purpose of the guide is to increase awareness of LGBTQ2S+ older adults’ issues and needs and identify concrete actions organizations can take to be more inclusive and affirming of LGBTQ2S+ older adults. The guide is intended for any organization working with older adults as volunteers, staff, clients, residents, and participants. 

Floyd Visser, former Executive Director of the SHARP Foundation, talked about how this collaboration came about, as well as provided an overview of the Aging with Pride guide. He discussed experiences of LGBTQ2S+ older adults in Alberta, while sharing information about work in this space taking place across the province and nationally with a focus on the work of the SHARP Foundation.

Here are some of the additional resources that were mentioned during this session:

• Aging in the LGBT+ Community Housing and Supports Needs Assessment - Rainbow Elders, The SHARP Foundation, Mount Royal University, Centre for Secuality, Habitus Consulting Collective Inc. - Funded by the Calgary Homeless Foundation
• Seniors and Continuing Care – LGBTQ2S+ Resources for Providers - Alberta Health Services

• CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS - Building Resiliency Among LGBTG2S+ Seniors - The SHARP Foundation is looking for 25 participants living in Alberta to participate in a digital research project to share their experiences and stories around coping in times of COVID-19. (Opportunity is now closed - expired Sep 9, 2020)

During this community conversation, we also explored how organizations can create environments where clients, staff, volunteers, and visitors can feel authentic and comfortable. We hope this conversation will be helpful to organizations wanting to better meet the needs of older LGBTQ2S+ Albertans and work collaboratively in this space. If you would like to participate in building a space for collaboration around supporting LGBTQS2+ seniors in Alberta and ensuring that they are able to age with pride in affirming and welcoming communities, please contact us at healthyaging@calgaryunitedway.org.