Prague, March 30 (CTK) – Czech old people’s homes and medical facilities are not prepared for taking care of aging people from sexual minorities and their staff do not know how to work with lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transsexuals (LGBT), a survey just released has shown.
In addition, the seniors themselves try to conceal their identity out of fear of negative reactions of the surroundings, the survey, presented by the Platform for equality, recognition and diversity (PROUD), found out.
The LGBT seniors “are in a specific situation. They either have no family because they did not create it, or their relations are problematic, or their original family repudiated them because of their orientation,” Nada Spatenkova, an author of the survey, said.
According to expert estimates, people with a different sexual orientation constitute 3 to 5 percent of the 10.5 million population of the country.
Some experts speak about up to 15 to 20 percent.
At the end of last year, there were about 1.9 million people aged over 65 in the Czech Republic. Three percent of the total are 57,000 people and 5 percent 95,000 people.
Zdenek Sloboda, from PROUD, said even those who did not conceal their identity in the past, start to do so when coming to old people’s homes because they fear rejection and even bullying.
LGBT seniors say they have no common themes with the other old people to talk about. Their peers often speak about marriage, children and grand-children.
The LGBT would like to meet their community and to speak with its members about their own themes. Men would like men to take care of them, women would like women to look after them.
Activists do not consider opening homes for LGBT seniors only.
Sloboda said it is feared that “segregation could lead to discrimination.”
Older people would prefer free and anonymous guidance by phone, the survey showed.
