Longtime elder-rights advocate Paula Basta has been selected to a two-year term as chair of the American Society on Aging's (ASA) LGBT Aging Issues Network (LAIN).
Basta has made elderly issues her career for more than 30 years. She is currently the regional director for the Northeast Levy Senior Center, which is a branch of the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services. She has also been involved with LAIN for at least 10 years, and her partner, Terri Worman, the associate state director with AARP in community organizing, served as the previous chair of LAIN.
She said that on top of that she is part of the aging LGBT baby boomer population so part of her interest lies with the fact that these issues will affect her and her partner directly in the coming years.
"We want to age well," she said of all LGBT elders and elders to be.
The American Society on Aging is a national organization that focuses on the breadth of aging issues, including issues specific to minority groups, such as the LGBT population.
"What LAIN does, is works on raising awareness and tries to talk more about the concerns specifically of LGBT elders," Basta said. "About the unique barriers that we face as we try to access mainstream services such as housing, healthcare, long term care, nursing home care, home delivered meals, all the things that help sustain an elderly person as they age."
Basta said that the approach to aging issues is twofold, because there are the current LGBT elders and the next generation of LGBT elders to consider.
"You have LGBT elders right now, and those are folks who have grown up pre-Stonewall," she explained. "People who have not come out easily, or many times were not out in their work, in their lives or with their families. Or, if they were, they were ostracized. So, that is a population that is not as used to accessing services saying who they are, because it's not been something that's been comfortable in how they grew up."
Basta wants to make sure that the current elders are able to access the services that they need right now, both mainstream serves as well as services specifically available to the LGBT aging population, and at the same time improving access to those services for the next generation.
"We are not going to go back in the closet," she said. "We are going to really want to access senior services and aging services as who we are, whether that be trans, lesbian, bisexual or gay, we are not going to go back.
"We are trying to do education, trying to make sure that we have training, to make sure that we have all the best professionals possible to help us with accessing our services."
Basta believes that the key priorities right now do need to be awareness, education and training.
"We are going to be who we are, and we want to access those services without barriers, without having to explain our relationships, without having to hide anything anymore," she said.
She believes that sensitivity and cultural competency training will go a long way in helping staff members be more comfortable and capable of assisting LGBT seniors.
Accessing mainstream services without barriers is a big concern. Despite some cities offering LGBT specific programs and services, many more cities do not have these options.
"I would say, for the most part, mainstream agencies are open to it," she said. "I think at some point there is an awareness ... I think what happens is they try to understand, but if there is not support at the management level then they aren't going to be able to access the training that is necessary and needed. Some agencies are proactive, already doing LGBT sensitivity training and they are really above the game here, but there are other agencies that it's not on their radar at all."
Basta is particularly hopeful given the Obama Administration's efforts thus far on LGBT aging issues. She points out that there are now national level funding streams available specifically targeted at LGBT elders as well as a national resource center.
At the local level, Chicago has also made strong efforts in aiding LGBT elders. Specifically the SAGE center located at the Center on Halstead, provides services to the community and an LGBT senior housing project is under construction.
She would like to see Illinois adopt legislation similar to California's Older American's Act, which requires training around LGBT senior issues.
"We don't have that in Illinois yet, but I would like to try and work with our legislative leaders to see if we could try and do something like that here," she said.
Basta said that another huge obstacle is the Defense of Marriage Act.
"Since we cannot be married federally, that means social security cannot be shared. ... When LGBT elders end up growing older we are lower as far as the income level goes so we are more susceptible to poverty. I think that you need to look at that as an economic justice issue. We need to see DOMA repealed.
"We want to age well, but we need financial resources in order to do it. Our older straight allies, they are able to get married, they can share their retirements, their social security, all the things that we cannot do yet."
Basta is particularly excited about the 2013 Aging in America Conference, which is being held in Chicago from March 12-16 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, 151 E. Wacker Dr.
Basta's officially takes over as chair of LAIN on March 16 and will serve a two-year term.