The findings from our new Rainbow Dog Project Report which looked at the relationship between sudden ill health or a life-changing event and mental health, showed:
- the need to improve communications between the hospital and community sector to ensure continuity of care
- that health providers need to have a better understanding of the effects of ageism
- the LGBTI+ community would benefit from having more open conversations about ageing and how to prepare for the later stages of life
- the need to develop community-driven advocacy models to help build community support
- the importance of specific resourced LGBTI+ community organisations to help prevent social isolation.
In order to bring these ideas to life, a co-design workshop was held with community members of the Rainbow Dog Action Group who have chosen three specific areas to work on with Rainbow Hub SA. These areas are:
- Develop and Run Interactive Workshops which would focus on educating LGBTI+ people over 50 about their rights as they age, particularly when they need to access primary health care. These workshops would be led by people over 50 who have had a lived experience of exercising their rights and could include housing and residential care, health and planning ahead for the later years, building on our work on the Rainbow Rights Toolkit.
- Develop a Community Based Palliative Care Support Group. This proposal is based on the need to increase the level of informal support available from within the LBGTI+ community, for partners of people who are in palliative care or have had a partner recently pass away. This group will be supported by members of the LGBTI+ community only and initially be restricted to support around dementia but may be expanded to other palliative care conditions.
- Develop “About Me” Forms These forms would be designed and used in health and aged care settings. The forms would provide a mechanism whereby LGBTI+ older people don’t have to continuously repeat their story and can provide additional information (if they want and feel safe to do so) about themselves which is not already routinely collected. The forms will be distributed to primary health care settings and aged care settings by the Department of Health, to ensure consistency across the South Australian health care sector.
These three areas are now part of our Strategic Plan and form one of our ‘Call to Action’ areas being developed with our Community Action Groups. If you want to know more, or join any of these areas to help bring these areas to life we would love to have you on board. Just contact us at info@rainbowhubsa.com, let us know which area you are interested in, give us your phone number and or email address and one of the coordinators for that priority area will be in touch.
Visit our project website to download the report or for more information.
