Aging LGBTQ residents focus of local survey
A local survey will seek to understand the health needs of aging LGBTQ residents in the Dayton area.
It is the first large-scale effort with a rigorous, academic approach to gather data on the population living in Montgomery County and others nearby.
“We want to take the pulse of the health and needs of our LGBTQ+ community to see where gaps and disparities exist from the community’s own point of view,” said Dr. Anne Proulx, associate professor of family medicine and principal investigator. “From there we can look for funding and support services that may be needed and lacking currently.”
A lack of data on the health and aging needs of LGBTQ people in local communities has hindered Dayton organizations striving to better serve them, Boonshoft stated in a release.
To help close the data gap, Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine students are working with an alliance of community organizations to lead the LGBTQ Aging with Pride Survey.
The survey includes questions on background demographics, health care, social support, and personal relationships and behaviors, as well as a needs assessment. It’s tailored to individuals age 50 or older, but those 21 or older and identifying as a member of the local LGBTQ community can participate.
“We want to help make the quality of life for LGBTQ people in the Miami Valley as healthy and productive as possible,” said Jerry Mallicoat, LGBTQ Health Initiatives project manager at Public Health — Dayton & Montgomery County. “The survey is a good first step.”
The LGBTQ Aging with Pride Survey is available online at https://is.gd/ LGBTandAGING.
Both medical students are leaders in Boonshoft PRIDE, a student group that promotes awareness and supports a network of allies for LGBTQ people at the Boonshoft School of Medicine.
The group is just one of many local organizations working over the past few years to get the survey going. Partners include Public Health — Dayton & Montgomery County, Rainbow Elder Care of Greater Dayton, Parents, Friends and Families of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), the Greater Dayton LGBT Center, Gatlyn Dame Transgender Support Group, Buckeye Region Anti-Violence Organization, and Positives for Positives Support Group, among others.
“This is a true collaborative effort by, with and for LGBTQ people in the Miami Valley,” said John Cummings, a board member for Rainbow Elder Care of Greater Dayton.