"Peggy and Sam" - a couple in one of the kit's videos (watch it below) Creators of a resource kit for those looking after older lesbian, gay and bisexual people in rest homes say it’s being welcomed by the aged care sector and district health boards. The Silver Rainbow resource is packed with videos, guidelines, training and work books designed to make sure older New Zealanders don’t have to go back into the closet when they go into care. Project manager Claire Mooney says along with the good response in New Zealand, there has also been interest in the resource from Australia and the US. Some of the guidelines She says the kit helps staff manage bullying and clarifies that it is their responsibility to ensure “that if they witness this behaviour they must take action to ensure vulnerable residents are protected and allowed to live free from discrimination”. It was created by the School of Nursing at The University of Auckland, in collaboration with a working group drawn from the aged care sector Auckland’s gay community. Early research identified that while aged care workers themselves were generally accepting of older lesbian, gay, and bisexual residents, it was dealing with the attitudes of other residents that needed to be addressed. The research also showed that many staff were not aware of their own prejudices. You can access the resource kit here Education about older transgender people has not been included in early phases of the the kit yet, because creators of the resource decided to concentrate on sexual minorities first.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 3rd July 2014 - 1:00pm