Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) is a group of people that have raised controversies across the globe in regard to their sexual orientation. In some societies they have legal rights to explore their orientation and even have life time marriage commitment that is legitimized by the laws of the land. Despite the group being legalized by some nations they still face utter discrimination from diverse sectors offering services for instance healthcare, retirement homes among others. Research indicates that over the last couple of years there is has been a great diversity in regard to the American demographics. It is approximated that 2.4 million adults who are over fifty years identify themselves as LGBT (Fredriksen-Goldsen 2014) .Studies indicate that by 2030 approximately 5 million people over the age of 50 will be identifying themselves as LGBT (Fredriksen-Goldsen 2014) . Despite the growing numbers of people in this group there is great discrimination that they face for instance in their access to basic health care, social segregation, financial insecurity and issues of care giving among others. The paper will therefore explore the current situation and specific needs and challenges of the Lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgender group of people.
In the contemporary society the LGBT older adults have health care disparities as compared to the heterosexuals in the same communities. Fredriksen-Goldsen (2014) explains that compared to the heterosexuals the older LGBT face serious health concerns as they are at a risk of elevated poor wellbeing issues. One of the issues that is high among the people in this category is mental illness and disability. Similarly, they are more likely to indulge in irresponsible health concerns such as excessive drinking and smoking. As a result of their poor health habits they encounter ill physical issues and end up in depression. Besides, the older lesbians and bisexuals experiences high rates of cardiovascular issues, obesity and the cancer of the reproductive health. Also they are likely to engage in heavy drinking compared to their older transgender (Fredriksen-Goldsen 2014). On the other hand cases of diabetes are more prone in gay and bisexuals older adults.
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Another growing concern is that older LBGT face great social isolation because they have low chances to be partnered or settling down in marriage like their older counterparts from the heterosexual group (Emlet 2016). The gay made are more likely to live alone and have fewer children as compared to heterosexuals in the same age bracket. Studies indicate that because of the social isolation a majority of older adults form the LGBT community are more likely to experience deteriorating physical, mental health, cognitive impairment and high rates of morbidity and eventually heightened mortality rates as compared to the heterosexuals.
Additionally, LGBT older adults are financially disadvantaged as compared to their age mates from the heterosexual group (Emlet 2016) . Research indicates that among the general population of older adults in America the LGB group makes up a third of the aged people living below the economic threshold. The transgender group has a 200 percent rate of people living below the federal poverty line. The issues of financial problems hinder three quarters of the transgender population from accessing medical care (Emlet 2016) . It is also important to note that the older the aged become the higher the rates of financial challenges and poverty rates.
Similarly, the LBGT group of older adults is likely to experience problems in accessing proper medical attention because of the rates of discrimination they face when it comes to service provision. As a result of such discrimination there is need for intense campaigns against the issue of favoritism to enable the group enjoy better healthcare (Adams 2011) . Besides, the basic health care access the LGBT older people also experience caregiver issues which not only affects their will being but also brings co-morbidity concerns. The partners of the older LGBT people are not always recognized as legitimate care givers and in most cases they are not always granted leave days to take care of their ailing persons (Adams 2011) . They are also excluded in the decision of their partners medical issues unless they have defined legal arrangements in place. However the sad reality is that most people from this category just like any other Americans do not put such legal arrangements either because of lack of affordability of legal costs or considering doing it at a future time.
The financial security level for the LGBT group is also low because of the increasing rates of discrimination in employment opportunities (Adams 2011) . Most organizations in America today still discriminate against the people from this category and therefore not offered jobs to make them earn a living and save for the future. Besides, there are also barriers to social security and being enrolled in the pension and retirement plans which in most cases do not have arrangements for the same sex married couples (Adams 2011) . The state also shuts the LGBT from inheritance plans or otherwise makes them pay huge taxes on estates which are taken over at no cost among the heterosexuals (Seegart 2018). In America there are services that are specifically made for the aged people and when they attain the required age they begin to enjoy the services. The LGBT older people are not given access to such for instance Medicaid.
In the contemporary society the situation is changing with the advocating of non discriminatory laws against the LGBT community (Seegart 2018). There are several projects meant to help them enjoy the services that others access. A good example is the new residential project which is underway in Fort Green which is meant to cater for the housing needs of the older people who are in the LGBT group (Seegart 2018). The New York Times has also recognized the efforts of campaigns of reducing the isolation rates among the LGBT community.
With the expected increase in number of the LGBT in America there is need to fight against the isolation that older people in this category go through because just like the heterosexuals they also need old age security and protection. They need to be included in government schemes and programs for the elder people (National). In a discussion with two older gay couples Mizelle and Fischer PBS news hour nuances about their worries and concerns at old age after they have been openly together for several years. Mizelles states “I thought, ‘Have I come this far only to have to go back in the closet and pretend we are brothers?” said Mizelle. “We have always been out and we didn’t want to be stuck in a place where we couldn’t be” (National). It is a sad reality that needs to change for the wellbeing of every America.
References
Adams, M. (2011). LGBT advocate sees hurdles ahead. AARP Family Relationships . Retrieved from https://www.aarp.org/relationships/family/info-04-2011/biggest-issues-facing-older-lgbt-americans.html
Emlet, C. A. (2016). Social, economic, and health disparities among LGBT older adults. Generations , 40 (2), 16-22.
Fredriksen-Goldsen, K. I. (2014). Promoting health equity among LGBT mid-life and older adults: Revealing how LGBT mid-life and older adults can attain their full health potential. Generations (San Francisco, Calif.) , 38 (4), 86.
Nation (2018) LGBTQ seniors face discrimination in long-term care https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/lgbtq-seniors-face-discrimination-long-term-care
Seegart. L (2018) National study finds LGBT seniors face tougher old age https://healthjournalism.org/blog/2018/07/national-study-finds-lgbt-seniors-face-tougher-old-age/
