Sexuality must be respected in homes

Residential and nursing homes must do more to
meet the needs of older lesbian and gay people, the first national
conference on the subject heard last week.

Fran
Springfield, assistant director and head of care at Hill Homes
housing charity, told Age Concern’s Opening Doors conference that
all residential and nursing home staff should be trained on how to
address older lesbian and gay people’s needs.

“It is
very important that staff training includes all issues relating to
the needs of older lesbian, gay and transgendered people coming
into care,” Springfield said.

“We
need to ask older lesbian and gay people questions, listen to their
answers, be proactive, and be imaginative in the services we
provide.”

Springfield advised care home
staff not to assume all residents were heterosexual, and for senior
managers to implement equal opportunities policies.

Chris
Gildersleeve, senior group worker at lesbian and gay health charity
Pace, said that the mental health of older lesbian and gay people
might be adversely affected by encountering homophobia from other
older people.

She
said that mental health services needed to have good policies to
stop homophobic bullying.

– For
more on Opening Doors go to www.ageconcern.org.uk