Thursday, February 18, 2016
2:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Room 7000, SFU Downtown Campus,
515 W. Hastings St., Vancouver BC
FREE
Register by emailing lgbteol@sfu.ca to reserve a spot

The Gerontology Research Centre at Simon Fraser University is leading a project focused on the issue of elder abuse within the LGBTQ community and will be hosting a Town Hall Meeting on Thursday, February 18 at SFU Harbour Centre Campus. The afternoon will begin with an overview of Elder Abuse followed by a presentation of videos developed for the project in an intergenerational arts collaboration between Quirk-e and Youth for A Change designed to raise awareness and start the conversation about an issue not often considered within the LGBTQ community. A panel, featuring community service providers, will be present for interactive dialogue to identify resources for those experiencing elder abuse or knowing someone who is and to lay the groundwork for further resource development. Be a part of this important conversation.

Topics will include:
What does elder abuse look like in the LGBT community?
Who is at risk? How can people protect themselves?
What help is available if someone is being abused?

This is one of a series of Town Hall Meetings that will take place in:

Surrey on February 10
Nelson – February 16
Vancouver – February 18
Prince George – February 19
Kelowna – March 1
Victoria – March 3

Older lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) adults are often an invisible population, as neglect, stigma, and isolation keeps them ‘stuck in the closet.’ At the same time, they are at increased risk for elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation, since the research shows that they are more likely to live alone, less likely to be partnered, and far less likely to have children, or if they do, to find them supportive. If LGBT individuals do experience abuse, shame, and a desire to be seen as ‘normal’ may make them reluctant to report it.