20 The QUEE NS Courier • june 30, 2016 for breaking news visit www.qns.com Ask the Commissioner: NYC's Advocate for the Aging Donna Corrado is commissioner of the New York City Department for the Aging. Corrado, who holds a doctorate in social policy and administration and a master’s degree in social work, joined DFTA from Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens. New York City is home to nearly 1.44 million seniors, and that number is expected to keep growing. She looks out for them. Q. Aren’t things better now for LGBT seniors? The public is more accepting, and same-sex marriage is legal in the U.S. A. Things are better — especially for younger generations — but many older members of the community have faced discrimination all their lives. Some still fear they will be rejected if they “come out.” Q. What are some of your concerns for LGBT seniors? A. A major concern is their lack of support networks. In a survey by the senior-advocacy group SAGE, more than 40 percent of LGBT seniors said their support networks became smaller over time, while 27 percent of non-LGBT seniors reported similar circumstances. LGBT seniors are more likely to live alone and have fewer children to provide care for them as they age. Another concern is financial insecurity. Elders who faced discrimination for decades because of their sexual orientation may have been denied jobs, which led to earning disparities and fewer opportunities to earn pensions. Consequently, they have smaller Social Security payments today. Another issue high on the list of concerns is the fact that some elders don’t seek health and social services because they fear they will face discrimination, and because they want to keep their lives private. That can take a toll on their physical and mental well-being. Of the LGBT seniors in their 60s and 70s, 40 percent say their doctors don’t know their sexual orientation, according to a SAGE study. Q. What is being done to address these issues? A. DFTA helped open the nation’s first LGBT senior center, SAGE Innovative Senior Center, in Chelsea in 2012, providing a place for seniors to build new social networks. The center now has locations in all five boroughs. Resources include classes, on-site meals and more. For seniors who face financial insecurity or need health care, the city offers assistance with benefits such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption program, Medicare and Medicaid. Call 311 and ask for NY Connects for more information. Donna Corrado Queens Pride Parade Scenes from the Queens Pride Parade this month in Jackson Heights Photos by Dominick Totino Photography
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