THE MANLY MANOR
Successful Aging
As people advance in age, health problems and disabilities often have a large impact on their ability to continue living independently. Contrary to aging heterosexuals, who often have the support and assistance from a spouse, adult children, and or family members, GLBT-seniors often lack this kind of support when their physical and/or mental capabilities start to decline. Because of the absence of such support GLBT-seniors may sooner be confronted with isolation, declining health, unnecessary fears , and they may in an earlier stage than heterosexual seniors have to rely on formal care giving services and accommodations.
Those GLBT-seniors who are in relationships often face an additional layer of discrimination in institutional care settings, since their relationships are neither formally recognized nor legally protected. These seniors face the very real risk of being denied the visitation privileges that heterosexual spouses enjoy; they also risk being separated from their partner and forced to live in separate nursing homes or housing facilities. Single GLBT-seniors often withdraw themselves “back in the closet” since they have or fear experiences ranging from feeling no connection with their heterosexual age-group to being discriminated by their peers and their caregivers.
While many mental health issues affecting GLBT-seniors parallel those of the heterosexual community, others are based in the distinctive experiences that characterize many GLBT lives, including estrangement from families, the challenges of adjusting to a minority sexual orientation or gender identity, the hostility or abuse many GLBT individuals experience throughout their lives, and the lack of social support for same-sex relationships and family structures.
Successful Aging involves maximization of one's physical and emotional well-being, pursuing the social, recreational, intellectual, spiritual, and creative activities that provide a sense of stability, fulfillment, and vibrancy, remaining actively engaged with social networks and aging in a place by free choice that always feels like home.
The Manly Manor recognizes that LGBT-seniors face special challenges when it comes to housing. A vision of healthy aging would support the ability of LGBT seniors—and all seniors—to “age in place” in the communities in which they already reside or in time wish to reside.
The Manly Manor recognizes that there may be situations in which a GLBT-senior has no longer control over the choice of his or her housing. Therefore a pro-active continuing evaluation by each individual GLBT-senior of his or her present and future need for the housing accommodations needs to be promoted.
The Manly Manor hopes to realize that GLBT-seniors will make informed choices for their future housing while they are still capable of doing so without possible emotional, physical and/or mental limitations. A choice for communal living, where its members become active and productive participants of a community that they help to form and grow themselves, is a way for successful aging and to remain within a circle of support.
As people advance in age, health problems and disabilities often have a large impact on their ability to continue living independently. Contrary to aging heterosexuals, who often have the support and assistance from a spouse, adult children, and or family members, GLBT-seniors often lack this kind of support when their physical and/or mental capabilities start to decline. Because of the absence of such support GLBT-seniors may sooner be confronted with isolation, declining health, unnecessary fears , and they may in an earlier stage than heterosexual seniors have to rely on formal care giving services and accommodations.
Those GLBT-seniors who are in relationships often face an additional layer of discrimination in institutional care settings, since their relationships are neither formally recognized nor legally protected. These seniors face the very real risk of being denied the visitation privileges that heterosexual spouses enjoy; they also risk being separated from their partner and forced to live in separate nursing homes or housing facilities. Single GLBT-seniors often withdraw themselves “back in the closet” since they have or fear experiences ranging from feeling no connection with their heterosexual age-group to being discriminated by their peers and their caregivers.
While many mental health issues affecting GLBT-seniors parallel those of the heterosexual community, others are based in the distinctive experiences that characterize many GLBT lives, including estrangement from families, the challenges of adjusting to a minority sexual orientation or gender identity, the hostility or abuse many GLBT individuals experience throughout their lives, and the lack of social support for same-sex relationships and family structures.
Successful Aging involves maximization of one's physical and emotional well-being, pursuing the social, recreational, intellectual, spiritual, and creative activities that provide a sense of stability, fulfillment, and vibrancy, remaining actively engaged with social networks and aging in a place by free choice that always feels like home.
The Manly Manor recognizes that LGBT-seniors face special challenges when it comes to housing. A vision of healthy aging would support the ability of LGBT seniors—and all seniors—to “age in place” in the communities in which they already reside or in time wish to reside.
The Manly Manor recognizes that there may be situations in which a GLBT-senior has no longer control over the choice of his or her housing. Therefore a pro-active continuing evaluation by each individual GLBT-senior of his or her present and future need for the housing accommodations needs to be promoted.
The Manly Manor hopes to realize that GLBT-seniors will make informed choices for their future housing while they are still capable of doing so without possible emotional, physical and/or mental limitations. A choice for communal living, where its members become active and productive participants of a community that they help to form and grow themselves, is a way for successful aging and to remain within a circle of support.
COMMUNITY LIVING FOR GLBT SENIORS
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