Rainbow Health First LGBTQ Organization to Join SAGE

There’s a new partnership in town, and its goal is to improve the lives of LGBTQ older adults.

Rainbow Health and SAGE are thrilled to announce a new partnership that, through knowledge-sharing and advocacy, hopes to address the issues that face this community.

“The issues are complex and, in many ways, new to the healthcare arena that aims to serve [LGBTQ older adults],” says Maren Levad, Aging Services Advocate for Rainbow Health.

Who are SAGE and Rainbow Health?

SAGE is the largest and oldest organization in the nation devoted to advocacy and serving the needs of LGBTQ elders.

Rainbow Health was created in 2018 during the merger of three organizations: Minnesota AIDS Project, Rainbow Health Initiative, and Training to Serve. Training to Serve was a project whose focus was on training service providers on how to work with LGBTQ older adults — it was not an organization for the older adults themselves.

“Our work builds on these legacy areas: HIV, LGBTQ+ health, and aging,” says Phil Duran Senior Advocate, Aging & Gender Care Access for Rainbow Health.

SAGE has now welcomed Rainbow Health as a collaborative partner in caring for LGBTQ older adults.

“We are excited to be able to partner more frequently with SAGE to expand our work in this area,” says Duran.

What this Partnership Means for the Community

“There are two main areas that we hope to improve through this partnership: knowledge-sharing and advocacy,” says Levad. Being partnered with SAGE means members of Rainbow Health will come together monthly to have national programming conversations and advocacy groups. Both conversations and groups are vital to supporting older LGBTQ adults in Minnesota.

“We also hope that by uniting as individual groups and discussing advocacy at state and national levels, we can share strategies to make more inclusive policies for our communities,” says Levad.

Why this Work Is Important

“When institutions, providers, or governments don’t ask questions about sexual orientation or gender identity, it sends a message to LGBTQ+ older adults that their needs are not important, and that they will be expected to simply fit into programs or services that are not designed with their particular needs in mind,” says Duran.

Right now, there is some LGBTQ-related data in Minnesota, but it often comes from narrow projects focused on younger people, like the Minnesota Student Survey or research done by Boynton Health at the University of Minnesota.

But when it comes to older adults, Rainbow Health has had to rely on their own conducted assessments. “First, we conducted the 2020 LGBTQ+ Dementia Interview Project funded by the MBA,” says Levad. “Then, we ran the study for the 2022 LGBTQ+ Aging Needs Assessment in partnership with the University of Minnesota, a continuation of a 2002 and 2012 survey.”

Thanks to these assessments (along with briefs released by the Minnesota Coalition on Leadership and Aging, the LTSS Gaps analysis, and three focused community conversations), Rainbow Health has managed to identify three specific communities with the highest needs: solo seniors, caregivers, and intersectional identities (i.e., BIPOC, HIV status, etc.).

They found that 40% of solo seniors stated they didn’t have enough close friends (gay men and bisexuals are the most likely to be living alone). They also found that LGBTQ folks are nearly twice as likely to be caregivers than the general population, and that LGBTQ stigma is a factor for anyone with HIV, but is more likely to impact older adults as it is often coupled with ageism, racism, and/or homophobia or transphobia.

These compounded stigmas can lead to a greater risk of isolation and loneliness, as well as impact quality of life. Due to this there is a significant need to link older adults to supportive services to keep them engaged in care.

With this partnership, Rainbow Health hopes to create more inclusive aging spaces, educate providers, and provide programs in partnership with communities state-wide where LGBTQ and older adults with HIV feel welcomed and supported.

“Currently, Minnesota is in the process of updating its State Plan on Aging,” says Duran. “Rainbow Health and SAGE have submitted specific recommendations to the State about actually developing and implementing efforts to gather data related to sexual orientation and gender identity in order to more fully inform the State’s commitment to equity in the aging area.”

Events Past and Future

SAGE and Rainbow Health had a table at the Minnesota Philharmonic event on March 11th. The performance included a piece where the Philharmonic shared the stage with One Voice Mixed Chorus. They sang words contributed by local LGBTQ older adults about their experiences with aging.

The next event is Twin Cities Pride, plus an Older & Bolder Pride Dinner on Friday, June 23rd from 5pm–7pm at St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral in Minneapolis. This dinner is a free, sober event (through registration is required) designed to celebrate older LGBTQ adults. Enjoy dinner, trivia, performances from the Queer Circus, and a Puppy Party from Healing Hearts Rescue.

Check out the Events Calendar on rainbowhealth.org or follow Rainbow Health on social media @rainbowhealthmn for more information.