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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| Developing anti-oppressive empowering social work practice with older lesbian women and gay men | | Author(s) | Jackie Langley |
| Journal title | British Journal of Social Work, vol 31, no 6, December 2001 |
| Pages | pp 917-932 |
| Keywords | Sexual orientation ; Older men ; Older women ; Rights [elderly] ; Social work. |
| Annotation | Available studies suggest that some 10% of the population might identify themselves as lesbian or gay. While it may follow that social workers will engage with older people who are homosexual, it does not follow that they will know who is in this group which is often characterised by its invisibility. This paper reports the results of a small-scale, exploratory study which examined how older lesbian women and gay men perceived their needs, should they become ill or disabled as they age. Their concerns were viewed in the context of their past as well as present lives, and oppression was a unifying theme. Some of the findings are examined, to highlight key challenges for social work practice. These include: working with invisibility and fear of oppression; developing awareness and recognition of lesbian and gay relationships; the need for anti-oppressive empowering services which match the needs and circumstances of older lesbian women and gay men; and importantly, the need for greater awareness of the heterosexist assumptions which influence responses and individual practice. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-020107204 A |
| Classmark | ES6: BC: BD: IKR: IG |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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