Rockway Institute In the News

Study shows elderly gays, lesbians and bisexuals rely on network of friends when ill By Karen Farkas Cleveland Plain Dealer January 7, 2008

When a 75-year-old gay man was dying from complications from diabetes, his family rallied to help.
Not only his biological family, but also his partner and other "family" - a close network of gay friends who brought him meals and provided companionship.

"He was a special guy and we felt we had to be there," said Gary Tame, 60, of Cleveland. "He felt truly like family."

That support mirrors the results of a recent study by a group of professors from New York University and the University of Pennsylvania that shows elderly lesbians, gays and bisexuals can rely on their network of friends when they are ill.

"Caregiving and Care Receiving Among Older Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Adults," recently published in the Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services, examined caregiving in a population that generally cannot rely on traditional family.

"While other studies have documented close peer relationships, this is the first one to take a look at how those peer networks function when someone is ill," said Robert-Jay Green, a psychologist and executive director of the Rockway Institute, a national center for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender research.

"It is a real contribution because it shows when people have a chronic or serious illness, their social network comes to their aid."

Arnold Grossman, a psychology professor at NYU and the lead researcher, said he studied caregiving at the request of gays, lesbians and bisexuals who said they were concerned about what would happen if they or their partner got sick.

"They had strong support networks but would that translate into caregiving?" he said.

He was not surprised that it did.

The only thing that surprised him, he said, was that people were really willing to give often-draining care to as many people who need their help.

The study included a survey of 199 people in New York City and Los Angeles age 40 and older, with three-quarters age 60 and older. Questions included their history of giving and receiving care and their perceptions of the burdens and benefits of caregiving.

Thirty-eight percent reported they had received care from others during the past five years and 67 percent had provided care to others. Of those who had received help, 76 percent had taken care of others and of those who had not received help, 60 percent had taken care of others. More than 75 percent of all participants said they would provide care in the future.

The survey showed that elderly gays and lesbians are not only willing to provide care for their partners and friends, but also to each other.

"In the gay and lesbian community, I often see more and more men and women looking after each other and crossovers of friendships," Tame said.

He said elderly gays and lesbians often were rejected by family and moved to other cities and lost contact. While many, like himself, have longtime partners, their friends are key.

Tame is a founding member of a senior group at The Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Community Center of Greater Cleveland that meets twice a week.

Mika Major, program director at the center, said it lacks funds to add more services for seniors.
"We would like to provide chore help and a buddy program and transportation," she said. "They don't have familial support and may be housebound."

Studies have shown that elderly gays and lesbians are reluctant to seek help at social service agencies or participate in local senior centers, according to Grossman's study.

Green said networks of friends sustain gays, lesbians and bisexuals throughout their lives.

"With biological families there is an obligation and responsibility and it is almost unthinkable that you would not care for your elderly parents and relatives," he said. "The same phenomenon is in the lesbian and gay social network."