A Peer Group for Older LGBTQIA+ Adults in Middle Tennessee
Special | 2m 30sVideo has Closed Captions
FiftyForward's peer group for LGBTQIA+ older adults meets monthly virtually or in person.
FiftyForward launched a peer group for LGBTQIA+ older adults in Middle Tennessee following a Nashville Pride survey that found that many LGBTQIA+ adults felt isolated. Surveys and conversations also revealed the need for more comprehensive programming for older adults in the LGBTQIA+ community. FiftyForward’s group meets virtually or in person each month.
Aging Matters is a local public television program presented by WNPT
A Peer Group for Older LGBTQIA+ Adults in Middle Tennessee
Special | 2m 30sVideo has Closed Captions
FiftyForward launched a peer group for LGBTQIA+ older adults in Middle Tennessee following a Nashville Pride survey that found that many LGBTQIA+ adults felt isolated. Surveys and conversations also revealed the need for more comprehensive programming for older adults in the LGBTQIA+ community. FiftyForward’s group meets virtually or in person each month.
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship(soft music) - So it looks like we're coming to our close time for today, so I hope everybody has a great week.
Good to see everybody.
FiftyForward's LGBT peer group is something that we started in 2020.
The group meets once a month.
We either meet virtually or in person, and it's just been a great way for people to meet one another, share ideas, talk about what's going on in their lives.
- I'm trying to get as many people involved in the FiftyForward program and trying to get people in this area in Bellevue involved.
People that are older, we tend to stay at home.
We tend to be more reserved.
We tend to stay kind of pulled back.
So I'm trying to give a place that people connect and bond and share resources as well.
- [Ashley] LGBT older adults are less likely to be married and more likely to live alone, less likely to have children, so I think that's why it's so vital for LGBT older adults to have the opportunity to form and build connections within their community.
So that's really kind of the driving force behind the group.
So we can provide that space for LGBT older adults.
- Beginning in 2019, early 2020, Nashville Pride invited FiftyForward to be part of their community visioning process.
So I co-chaired with Joe Interrante the Older Adult Visioning Task Force and really what we were looking at there, again, were what are the gaps in services?
What does the service landscape look like?
How can FiftyForward and other groups fit into that?
Because we won't offer everything.
There are residential needs, many other needs for the LGBT older adult community.
- So pretty shortly after that task force ended is when we started the LGBT peer group.
Sometimes we have topics that are kind of serious.
Other times we're more fun and silly.
There have been times where we've picked a movie and we'll discuss a movie in the next group, but it's been a wonderful way for people to meet each other.
I've noticed members swapping contact information, connecting outside of group, and that's the whole purpose of the group is to develop those connections so older adults don't feel as isolated.
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Aging Matters is a local public television program presented by WNPT