{"id":592,"date":"2015-04-30T10:12:30","date_gmt":"2015-04-30T14:12:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.healthinaging.org\/blog\/?p=592"},"modified":"2015-04-30T10:12:30","modified_gmt":"2015-04-30T14:12:30","slug":"culturally-sensitive-care-celebrates-diversity-in-all-its-forms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.healthinaging.org\/blog\/culturally-sensitive-care-celebrates-diversity-in-all-its-forms\/","title":{"rendered":"Culturally Sensitive Care Celebrates Diversity in All its Forms"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"manuel0069_pp\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Manuel A. Eskildsen, MD, MPH, CMD, AGSF<\/strong><\/span>
\nAssociate Chief of Geriatrics for Education<\/strong><\/span>
\nDirector, Emory Geriatric Medicine Fellowship Program<\/strong><\/span>
\nAssociate Professor of Medicine<\/strong><\/span>
\nDivision of General Medicine and Geriatrics<\/strong><\/span>
\nEmory University School of Medicine<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Taking care of older adults is extraordinarily rewarding to me\u2014I\u2019m always moved by the fascinating life stories and challenges my patients share. In particular, I find it especially fulfilling to help simplify an older adult\u2019s care when he or she is coping with complex problems. That\u2019s an especially satisfying part of my job.<\/p>\n

But sometimes, when you\u2019re dealing with older adults\u00a0who have unique health needs\u2014like members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) community\u2014you run into different kinds of issues that aren\u2019t just about simplifying medical solutions. For example, I especially remember the death of an older gay man whose story stuck with me because he died alone. Sadly, his death spoke to a truth that exists for many older LGBT people: they are more likely to be socially isolated than their heterosexual peers. Many don\u2019t have children, and significant numbers of LGBT adults may also be estranged from their biological families. There are many factors that have contributed to this reality, but principal among them is the fact that many older LGBT people grew up at a time when their sexuality was a stigma they didn\u2019t feel comfortable sharing. In those days, there was very little\u2014if any\u2014social support for someone who identified as LGBT.<\/p>\n

One of the great fears I\u2019m sure many of us share is that we\u2019ll die alone\u2014unfortunately, like that patient I remember so clearly, this is a particularly heightened concern for older LGBT adults. That\u2019s what makes our job as geriatricians and geriatrics healthcare professionals all the more important\u2014especially as we commemorate culturally sensitive care during national awareness events like Minority Health Month. We as elder care providers\u2014and informed patients\u2014can start helping to change how older LGBT adults are treated, especially at the end of their lives, by being sensitive to their needs and respectful of their health, care, and personhood. This is why I\u2019m so gratified by the recent AGS position statement covering the care of older LGBT adults. It will help health professionals and older adults alike pioneer fairer and more equitable treatment for LGBT people who can be subject to discrimination in health care and society.<\/p>\n

The policy statement from the AGS<\/a> not only encourages more equitable health care, but also helps ensure that care for LGBT older adults\u00a0in particular reflects the realities of their healthcare and social situations. For example, the policy statement encourages equal access visitation policies for same-sex and transgender couples. It also supports supports an older adult\u2019s ability to choose his or her surrogate healthcare decision-maker, even if that person isn\u2019t an immediate family member.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m delighted that the new AGS policy will help us all ensure that LGBT older adults are treated with the sensitivity and dignity they (and really all of us) deserve. If you\u2019d like to learn more about the AGS position statement or issues and opportunities that make older LGBT adult care unique, check out the infographic below released by the AGS earlier this year.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Manuel A. Eskildsen, MD, MPH, CMD, AGSF Associate Chief of Geriatrics for Education Director, Emory Geriatric Medicine Fellowship Program Associate Professor of Medicine Division of General Medicine and Geriatrics Emory University School of Medicine   Taking care of older adults … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[28],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthinaging.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/592"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthinaging.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthinaging.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthinaging.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthinaging.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=592"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthinaging.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/592\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":600,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthinaging.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/592\/revisions\/600"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthinaging.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=592"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthinaging.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=592"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthinaging.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}