CFN-funded project launches website for LGBT end-of-life conversations
Brian deVries and Gloria Gutman of the Simon Fraser University Gerontology Research Centre received a 2013 CFN Catalyst Grant for their project Fostering end-of-life conversations, community and care among LGBT older adults.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) older adults are more likely to age alone with limited support, and in a stigmatizing environment where they are often poorly served by traditional social services. The result is poorer overall health, with an associated reduced preparedness for end of life. The Catalyst project aimed to redress these disparities through a collaboration of academic and community partners from across Canada.
Findings from focus groups across Canada with LGBT older adults and people who provide service helped the project team develop the LGBT End-of-Life Conversations Website (www.sfu.ca/lgbteol).
The website contains resource inventories for each city that list facilities and services that LGBT older adults may find helpful and LGBT-friendly as they make decisions about end of life. There is also a discussion forum, available 24/7 and monitored by members of the LGBT community, to ensure a positive environment for information, communication and e-community building.