Opening Doors Suffolk
A research project to find out about the needs
and experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender people of using services that cater
for the needs of older people in Suffolk
Executive Summary
“I am a member of this society, as are you” (gay man 63 years)
October 2013
“The prompt to understand better the needs of lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and
transgender people (LGB&T) in later life came from a single phone call to our
office when I was working late one evening. The caller was the surviving
member of a long term lesbian partnership who was finding it difficult to
know where to go with her grief, as she and her partner had never been
publicly ‘out’ about their sexuality or their real relationship. I had been
recently and suddenly widowed, so truly understood her grief and our
conversation was simply two women being mutually supportive and took no
heed of our late partners being of different sexes. From then on, I wanted
personally to better understand the issues for older LGB&T people and for
Age UK Suffolk to be more aware and, therefore, better able to respond to
LGB&T people and their needs in older age. A couple of years of talking and
asking eventually led to some funding being offered and the rest is detailed
in this report..”
-
Daphne Savage, Chief Executive, Age UK Suffolk 2012.
The Opening Doors Suffolk project was made possible thanks to a
generous legacy donated by two local gay men. This has made it possible
to find out about the needs and experiences of older lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender people, and those who care for them, in Suffolk.
Thanks also go to all of the participants who generously gave their time
and themselves.
The project was carried out by Lois Peachey
For a copy of the full report or to find out more
about the project or Age UK Suffolk’s services,
please contact:
Age UK Suffolk,
14 Hillview Business Park, Old Ipswich Road,
Claydon, IPSWICH, Suffolk, IP6 0AJ
Tel: 01473 359911
office@ageuksuffolk.org
Download the summary and report from:
http://www.ageuk.org.uk/suffolk/How-we-can-help-you/Opening-DoorsSuffolk/
“I am delighted to be able to pick up the important work undertaken so far
through the Age UK Suffolk “Opening Doors” report.
As a gay man myself I understand the importance of this piece of research into
the needs of our older LGB&T members of our community here in Suffolk.
Everyone has the right to have their voice heard and their needs supported.
Many older LGB&T members of the community are still unsure how their needs
and wishes will be heard or seen by others, especially by service providers.
This report is just the beginning of further work we need to do to ensure that our
older LGB&T members of society know that their wishes will be heard, taken
seriously and supported.
We at Age UK Suffolk will provide every assistance possible to ensure that
everyone is treated and supported equally.
Anyone reading this report who feels they need to talk, be supported, or is from
the service sector, and wishes to discuss with how we can work together, please
do not hesitate to contact us and know that we will be here to help in a
supportive and understanding way.
Please don’t feel you are alone any more – we are here for everyone.”
Martyn Green,
Chief Executive, Age UK Suffolk - October 2013
Context and Aims of the Project
The voices of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGB&T) people have
rarely been included in mainstream research and guidance on the needs of
older people. This means that approximately 6-7% of the population is
excluded. This project, along with many others, contributes to addressing
this imbalance, especially given that research indicates that LGB&T people
are possibly more likely to need support in later life.
The aim of the project was
simple: to find and learn from
LGB&T people and those who
care for them about their
experiences of using services
in Suffolk which cater for the
needs of older people. This
information is to be used to
inform local service providers
in the planning and delivering
of their services. It was not
known how easy it would be to
reach and learn about a group
of people who have lived
through a time when being
lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender has been criminalised, pathologised
and demonised and when there was no protection in the law from abuse,
attack, discrimination and prejudice. Although the introduction of Civil
Partnership in 2004, the Gender Recognition Act 2004 and the 2010 Equality
Act have brought about virtual equality in law, attitudes are slower to change
and sadly prejudice and discrimination still exist in the UK.
Age UK Suffolk wants, and is required by law, to deliver a service that is
equally open and welcoming to all older people in Suffolk. However, at the
outset of the project Age UK Suffolk had no actual evidence that LGB&T
people were using its services, hence the charity seeking funding for this
research.
LGB&T – similar yet not the same?
Although the acronym LGBT is used in equalities work, gay and transgender
rights campaigns and in the public sector i.e. Government and health and
social care bodies, it does not reflect the vast range and complexities of
individuals’ identities. In particular, Opening Doors Suffolk recognises that
whilst transgender people have historically joined forces with LGB people,
their experiences, concerns, and needs are very different, hence the ‘& T’ or
‘and transgender’.
Who participated and on what are
the findings based?
Twenty LGB&T participants, some
aged 60+ years who have used
services that cater for the needs of
older people and others aged 50+
years who wished to talk about
what they might need in the future.
Two people were also family carers.
 LGB&T staff and volunteers


working with local service
providers.
Contact with local service providers.
A study of existing research and guidance and contact with other projects
around the UK working with older LGB&T people.
It had been hoped to recruit participants who were already using local
services. However, this was generally not possible as, in common with Age
UK Suffolk itself, many service providers did not know if LGB&T people are
using their services and questions around sexual orientation or transgender
identity, either as part of equalities monitoring or part of a needs
assessment, are rarely asked. Therefore, the majority of participants were
recruited through community networks, such as the Suffolk LGB&T Network,
and services that specifically work with LGB&T people. Very few LGB&T staff
or volunteers came forward to be involved in the project.
What were the limitations of the project?
 not reaching anyone older than 77 years
 not reaching any female to male transgender people
 reaching only half as many men as women
 not reaching anyone in residential care
 not reaching older LGB&T people from Black and Minority Ethnic (BME)
communities.
What are the key findings of the project?
1. We don’t want to hide who we are
The main finding from all four areas is that many LGB&T people want service
providers to know who they are:
“The real identity of the individual needs to be considered. Unless
you can find out about the whole person you can’t deliver a service
that will help them and the integrity of their identity will be
compromised.” (lesbian, 51 years).
Many would answer the monitoring question, if asked.
In spite of this, there was virtually no evidence from service providers that
older LGB&T people and their carers are using their services, with the
exception of those organisations with specific LGB&T projects, such as Suffolk
Family Carers.
Disclosing sexual orientation or transgender identity, or ‘coming out’,
whether spontaneously or in response to specific questions, is not always
easy for many LGB&T people who fear prejudice and discrimination and do
not feel safe.
LGB&T people are skilled at assessing who is safe and it is the responsibility
of service providers to make their organisations safe and to communicate
this clearly. The full report gives a number of recommendations and
highlights relevant guidance to help organisations do this:
“They need to make it less threatening for gay people to come
forward as clients and employees” (gay man 57 years).
In this project, participants who had, themselves worked in the public health
and social care sector also had the lowest expectations of being understood.
Those in relationships and those who were very ‘out’ in their lives were more
confident about what they could expect:
“I am a member of this society, as are you” (gay man 63 years).
Being ‘accepting’ or ‘tolerant’ of LGB&T people is not enough to counteract
decades of fear and mistrust, service providers need to do something
different and more pro-active in order to convey that LGB&T people are
welcomed by their service and that their particular needs will be addressed.
2. We want service providers to understand who we are
Among service managers and staff, there was varying knowledge of
understanding of equalities issues in general and very little specific
awareness of LGB&T issues. However, there were strong beliefs among
participants that all service providers should have this awareness:
“Find out who we are as a community, find out what our needs,
hopes and aspirations are. It is not a lifestyle choice. A lot of older
lesbians couldn’t come out when they were young. People have had
to live closed lives. Training will enable staff to response
appropriately when an older person does come out”
(lesbian 68 years)
Older LGB&T people look for positive and meaningful equalities
statements on websites and promotional literature as well as imagery
that includes LGB&T people.
3. There is plenty of evidence and guidance out there
There is no shortage of research that supports the findings of this small, local
project as well as a wide range of guidance from the public sector on how
best to assess and meet the needs of older LGB&T clients. A comprehensive
list of this research and guidance is available in the full report.
Recommendations for service providers

Investigate how your organisation
might unwittingly alienate LGB&T
people, eg: do you ask if people are
married, only display images of
heterosexual couples, always ask about
children and grandchildren?

Train staff to understand the issues that
older LGB&T people might face in seeking help or advice and help them
to understand the importance of understanding relevant legislation
and sending out affirmative messages.

Display images of same sex couples and mention LGB&T people in
promotional literature, on your website and in policies. In residential
settings provide books and films with LGB&T themes.

Seek feedback from those clients who do disclose that they are LGB&T
and invite them to get involved in service user and focus groups and
training events.

Ask robust equality and diversity questions at interview – high staff
turnover is often cited as a reason for not providing training - so
incorporating equality and diversity issues into the recruitment process
is cheaper and more effective. Understand the provisions of the
Gender Recognition Act 2004, Equality Act 2010 and Civil Partnership
Act 2005 and demonstrate this in your equality and diversity
statements and in consent forms. Specifically, understand how
legislation relates to religious and cultural views of homosexuality.
Staff should be trained and supported in challenging prejudiced views
and attitudes. Older LGB&T people themselves may not be aware of
the Equality Duty on service providers, so this information should be
made easily and obviously available.

Frontline staff should know about local services for LGB&T people – in
Suffolk the best resource for this is the Suffolk LGB&T Network
www.suffolklgbtnetwork.org.uk

Be clear with clients where information
they give about their sexual orientation
or transgender identity will be recorded
and who will have access to it.

Arrange regular staff training on LGB&T
issues, which is best done in small
groups where staff will feel safe to ask
questions and share their views and
experiences.

Make sure staff understand that older
LGB&T people may experience further
stereotyping and discrimination if they
also have a disability, mental illness,
dementia, HIV/AIDS or are from a
minority ethnic group.
Please see full report for the complete list of recommendations.
Conclusion
From the data gathered, it is difficult to evidence whether older LGB&T
people are using services that cater for the needs of older people in Suffolk,
let alone what their experiences are. However, as LGB&T people constitute
approximately 6-7% of the UK population and, therefore, 6-7% of the older
population, the likelihood is that they are using services for older people but
are not coming out when they do.
The impact of this situation on individual lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender people is, again, difficult to evidence. However, as LGB&T people
have been fighting for many years for equal rights it is unlikely they will be
happy to go back into the ‘closet’ in the later stages of their lives.
It is, therefore, vital that service providers take action now to become more
welcoming and accessible for the current generation of older LGB&T people,
thus preparing and positioning their services to be appropriate for a future
and ‘out’ cohort of older LGB&T people.
What participants said about taking part in Opening Doors Suffolk:
“Good opportunity to have one’s voice heard: long overdue.
Something needs to be done so we are not alone.” (lesbian couple
both 51 years)
“Found the conversation very interesting and it’s encouraged us to
think a bit more seriously about the future so that we get what we
need.” (lesbian couple both 79 years)
“Refreshing to have the information about what is available and to
hear that the needs of LGB&T people are being discussed and that
things are moving forward. It is ignorance that causes problems in
society so anything that educates opens up society and is a good
thing.” (gay male couple 70 & 58 years)
“The experience of talking about the issue of ageing and needing
services has been worthwhile. I appreciate the opportunity to have
my views heard and am pleased to see that Age UK Suffolk is
interested. I may want to get more involved in the future.” (trans
woman 59 years)
“After our conversation I feel less alone and as if a weight has
been lifted. It’s important to have a voice.” (lesbian 57 years)
Disclaimer
The views expressed in this report are those of the author and may not
necessarily be those of Age UK Suffolk.