A program born out of the early weeks of the pandemic has paired LGBTQ elders with volunteers in the community for more than three years.
Like most people, many older members of the LGBTQ community were feeling isolated as stay-at-home orders kept everyone inside, said Christina Da Costa, who was part of the team at SAGE USA that launched the free program in the first few months of the pandemic. SAGE is a national advocacy group for LGBTQ seniors.
SAGEConnect is a phone buddy program that matches LGBTQ elders and volunteers to make or receive a friendly check-in call, at least once a week for at least six weeks.
“People feel connected,” Da Costa said. “People do not feel alone. People feel as though they have a friendly voice to speak with.”
Elder members of the LGBTQ community are twice as likely to be single and live alone, Da Costa said. They are four times less likely to have children and are less likely to have access to caregiving support than their heterosexual peers. Those circumstances compound the loneliness and isolation for this population.
The history of anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment reflected in U.S. laws and policies created a stigma that’s caused painful experiences for LGBTQ+ patients seeking health care.
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