In the spring of 2023, I was struck with the impression that the Advocates for the Care of the Elderly (The ACE Team) established in 2007 appeared to be a very white, cis-gendered organization.
We were operating in a colourblind, heterosexual normative manner without much self-reflection. I say this with some embarrassment as my social work education and career had prepared me to be mindful of the places and intersections that all of my compatriots might be experiencing and in my working career this would not have happened. I am not judging the wonderful ACE Team Working Group members I serve with.
At that point I approached the ACE Team Working Group, a sort of Working Board, which takes on all the activities of the organization and suggested that we needed to reach out to the 2SLGBTQI+, African Nova Scotia and Indigenous communities seeking to build relationships, make alliances where possible and support other communities, who might have similar and unique Long-term Care concerns.
Three months later, I found myself standing in the kitchen of Dan MacKay and his partner Paul Pitre, representing the Elderberries, the Nova Scotia 2SLGBTQI+ organization, loading up a picnic backpack, heading for Fort Needham Park and getting some more history on the Halifax explosion. Gary MacLeod (ACE Team Chair) and I had carried on a conversation with Dan once by Zoom and several times via emails and I had been as open as possible about who I was, my background, the support of the ACE Team in reaching out to the 2SLGBTQI+ community, all in an effort to create a safe space where a caring, respectful conversation could begin.
The ACE Team is appreciative of the openness and welcome offered by the Elderberries and look forward to exploring how to partner respectfully in future long-term care advocacy efforts.
The ACE Team which advocates for improvements in long-term care funding, staffing, policies and practices had been very clear that our goal was to seek relationship, to understand the universal and specific long-term care concerns of other communities and I shared that with Dan and Paul. It was clear that we shared common interests in the dignified care of elderly folk who need 24 hour care. Having no hidden plan and no unstated goals was, in my mind, the key to the success of our conversation.
I asked Dan and Paul about the concerns of 2SLGBTQI+ seniors regarding homophobic treatment by staff and other residents, some residents being of the generation that had made coming out, so fraught with danger. Dan acknowledged these concerns among community members but he also noted recent conversations with well-known facilities in which the idea of 2SLGBTQI+ neighbourhoods were discussed.
Dan provided some background regarding earlier efforts to create safe spaces and he suggested that society and the governments they represent might be ready to provide intentional, safe, long-term care for the 2SLGBTQI+ community. We also spoke of possibly doing some joint research that might explore the current state of long-term care, i.e. safety for 2SLGBTQI+ members, as a way to speak to the concerns of community members.
Dan noted the recent success of the African Nova Scotia community in creating a culturally appropriate long-term care facility for their community members as a hopeful sign of good things to come.
As we came down the hill, out of the idyllic park-like setting, I suggested that our picnic was a good way to start a long-term care advocacy relationship. I also raved about the excellent soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. Dan and Paul agreed, especially about the food and plans are now in place for Dan to attend an upcoming ACE Team Working Group Zoom meeting as my guest.
The ACE Team is appreciative of the openness and welcome offered by the Elderberries and look forward to exploring how to partner respectfully in future long-term care advocacy efforts.
Thank you Dan and Paul for hosting me and for your openness to imagine advocating together in the future.
Note the work of the ACE Team can be observed by going to the ACE Team Facebook Page. The Advocates for the Care of the Elderly (The ACE Team) webpage is being updated at this time.
For further reading:
- 2SLGBTQI+ Resources - For Long-Term Care Homes (pdf, 12 pages)
- Leading & Learning with Pride: A Revitalized Tool Kit on Supporting 2SLGBTQI+ Seniors (pdf, 225 pages)
- Poster: Six Actions for promoting dignity, respect and equality for 2SLGBTQI+ Seniors (pdf, 1 page) (Elder Abuse Prevention Ontario, 2023)
