Page 7 - Possible Magazine - Issue 7

Listening to seniors who identify as LGBTI share their own experiences has taught me that it’s about having an atti- tude that never assumes. You just can’t know what any one person has been through, or what best serves them.
Susanne Jones, owner
of Just Better Care Brisbane North and CBD
70+
“There are people who are over 70 and still haven’t come out because of shame and
discrimination.”
Susanne Jones, owner of Just Better
Care Brisbane North and CBD, joined
the Ageing in Diversity Action Group to learn more about those over the age of 65 who identified as LGBTI. Her goal was to educate herself and her team on how to provide care of the highest standard.
“It’s about inclusion and aligning our organisations through consistent, respectful treatment,” she explained.
Susanne says the seniors who identify as LGBTI are invaluable group members. They are active and vocal in meetings and offer a lived experience perspective that can be difficult to obtain outside of the group setting, especially from older people who identify as LGBTI.
“This age group has seen such
a huge scope of discrimination. It’s understandable that they may not be
as comfortable speaking about their experiences as younger generations may be,” Susanne said.
“They are a huge source of information. We have much to learn from them.”
According to the Australian Department of Health and Welfare, accessing appropriate services remains difficult for many older LGBTI Australians.
Susanne explained that fostering a safe and open atmosphere within the group leads to the best insights into improving inclusive support.
“If we have questions, we ask the questions, and sometimes they’ll tell us that we’re wrong. But in order to learn, it’s important to be able to ask – that’s what is going to help us provide better support to the LGBTI community,” she said.
LGBTI ageing is complicated, delicate and differs from generation to generation. It’s also non-homogenous. Susanne realised quickly that she had no idea
of the level of stigma that senior LGBTI people face.
“There are people who are over 70 and still haven’t come out because of shame and discrimination,” she said.
Susanne said she’s learned that education and awareness are key to ensuring respect and an understanding of any tensions that might arise when a person who identifies as LGBTI enters aged care or makes a request for support.
The group discusses the impact of language and behaviours that can be unintentionally isolating to a customer. Questions such as “Why are you not married?”
Susanne’s aim is to have an intuitive process that isn’t forced on staff or customers, but instead comes naturally through education and awareness.
“I just want our staff to understand how language and behaviours impact how comfortable and safe someone feels, especially if we are in their home,” she explained.
One way that Susanne has applied her knowledge within the Just Better Care Brisbane North and CBD office is to incorporate LGBTI scenario questions into the interview process when hiring new staff.
“This way it’s made very clear that our office provides support to diverse groups and that we are committed to providing a safe and comfortable service to every individual,” she said.
“Our staff need to embody those same values from the get-go.”
Susanne has learned a lot during her time with the Ageing in Diversity Action Group.
“Listening to seniors who identify
as LGBTI share their own experiences
has taught me that it’s about having an attitude that never assumes. You just can’t know what any one person has been through, or what best serves them,” she said.
“Now my attitude is, I can’t know what you need, but if you need to talk I will listen to you and do everything I can to help.”
JUST BETTER CARE — 7