Education resource raises awareness of mental health needs of LGBTI clients

Some of Australia’s leading health and ageing researchers have collaborated with beyondblue to draw attention to the significant mental health issues facing older lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) Australians.

Some of Australia’s leading health and ageing researchers have collaborated with beyondblue to draw attention to the significant mental health issues facing older lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) Australians.

A series of education resources targeting aged care service providers and their staff have been produced to raise awareness of the experience of anxiety and depression among this client group.

The resources were developed from a literature review and interviews with 30 older gay, lesbian and transgender people who have experienced depression and anxiety, and have been piloted with health professionals and reviewed by an advisory committee of consumer advocates.

The resource kit provides information on:

  • the factors that contribute to anxiety and depression, including those related to gender identity and sexuality and the impact that has on a person’s life.
  • why older LGBTI people may not feel comfortable disclosing or discussing their gender identity or sexuality; and why others may wish to.
  • what strategies older LGBTI people use to cope with anxiety and depression.
  • what older LGBTI people may fear when accessing aged care or mental health services.
  • practical things service provider staff can do to ensure LGBTI inclusive service.

The researchers said older LGBTI people experienced higher rates of depression and anxiety than the general community and this may add to the complexity of their care needs.

“Many LGBTI people may be anxious and reluctant to access aged care and mental health services, as they expect to encounter stigmatisation and discrimination. This means they may be reluctant to disclose their gender identity, sexual orientation or intersex status,” they said.

“Service providers should keep an open mind and make a space for older people to disclose their social histories and care needs if and when they choose.”

The free education materials consist of a PowerPoint presentation, ‘Life Stories’ discussion activity developed from real-life interviews, facilitator notes and a project report, which can be used in staff training.

The project funded by beyondblue was a partnership between the National Ageing Research Institute, the Australian Research Centre for Sex, Health and Society at La Trobe University, and the RMIT School of Mental Health.

Download the comprehensive set of resources, ‘Improving mental health for older LGBTI Australians’ from the beyondblue website.

Tags: beyondblue, education, la-trobe, lgbti, nari, news-ccrn-3, resource, rmit,

1 thought on “Education resource raises awareness of mental health needs of LGBTI clients

  1. We have been using art therapy and colouring with our clients and are seeing some amazing results. Our clients range from their 50’s into their mid 90’s and are learning to focus better, improve their concentration and we have noticed how much laughter is now emanating from this activity. Clients are feeding back about how how their concentration has improved and it alleviates the feeling of loneliness. They introduce neighbours to it and are creating colouring meet ups over coffee. The group is now working on an extremely large poster and we will get it laminated and put it on permanent display. What they are achieving is amazing. Some of the clients are from the LGBTIQ group and some are not but all have mental health issues.

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