In just 20 years, the number of Americans over the age of 65 will increase by 100 percent. That's roughly 80 million Americans, and as the LGBT community ages alongside their heterosexual friends and neighbors, doctors focused on that population say LGBT persons face unique concerns when it comes to aging, and a host of health care disparities ranging from housing discrimination to social isolation.
Dr. Clinton Potter, a physician with Advanced Individualized Medicine in Naples, joins Gulf Coast Live to discuss surveys of long-term care facilities that show LGBT residents fear staff discrimination, as well as a fear of being "out" to their peers. More than 40 percent report instances of mistreatment. That's on top of research showing LGBT persons are twice as likely to face economic insecurity, and to live alone or be single, in their golden years, and are more likely to be estranged from their families.
Dr. Potter is giving a free, public presentation on issue, entitled "The Graying of Gays," at the Lakes Region Library in Fort Myers on Monday, Jul. 17 at 6 p.m.
Also joining the show is attorney Kelly Fayer, focusing on estate planning and elder law, to discuss the unique legal situations an aging LGBT population faces in Southwest Florida.
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