Silver Rainbow: a program to combat the involuntary loneliness of LGBTI seniors and promote active aging.
The project
Arcigay National LGBTI Association, in partnership with Arci Pesca FISA, is the leader of the "SILVER RAINBOW" project – Multilevel actions for the positive aging of the elderly LGBTI population, the fight against involuntary loneliness, intergenerational dialogue and the promotion of acceptance and visibility in non-LGBTI contexts. The project is funded by the Ministry of Labor and Social Policies pursuant to Article 72 of Legislative Decree no. 117 of July 3, 2017, for the year 2017.
With this project, we intend to work to combat involuntary loneliness and empower older LGBTI people, with a long-term intervention program for LGBTI seniors (over 60) and seniors (over 75). The aging process itself is a condition that leads individuals to a period of life in which they are at greater risk of invisibility, involuntary loneliness, and social exclusion. third and fourth age LGBTI It is an even more complex and relatively new issue that must be addressed on multiple levels.
Today, senior LGBTI people are generally invisible and involuntary loneliness for the LGBTI elderly is therefore a concrete and double risk.: as an older person and as an LGBTI person. On the one hand, the stigma surrounding aging carries a significant weight within the LGBTI community and culture, and it's an issue that even older adults over 50 who are approaching old age must contend with. On the other hand, their LGBTI identity presents multiple risks, or at least challenges, which change depending on their greater or lesser "visibility" as LGBTI people. Added to this is the potential fragility of social support, which in Italy is often based on blood family ties, a support system that is destined to diminish for older LGBTI people without descendants.
There is a lack of “role models” on aging well for LGBTI people, although there are experiences that address, for example, the issue of housing for LGBTI third and fourth age groups by looking at intergenerational co-housing or similar models. And besides The LGBTI elder is already putting resources into action today to cope with change, but we don't know them.
The idea of the project is to address this invisibility and counteract involuntary loneliness. from multiple points of view and at multiple territorial levels, a national one across the whole of Italy and a local one in the territories of Bologna and Turin, with some specific actions.
General objective The project's aim is therefore to reduce discrimination against elderly LGBTI people and to experiment with innovative forms of "living" for elderly people.
Specific objectives I am:
- greater knowledge of the needs of older LGBTI people;
- increasing expertise on LGBTI older people among caregivers in the broader sense and in organizations working on active ageing;
- reducing the generation gap between older LGBTI people and the younger LGBTI community;
- the definition of an innovative model of housing for the LGBTI older person.
The results of social research
In early 2019, an online survey was released—titled "The Years That Pass," conducted by Dr. Raffaele Lelleri, sociologist and scientific director of the research—which addressed the issues of personal and social visibility, belonging and participation, health and well-being, discrimination and victimization, current and future support networks, experiences of aging, and co-housing. The survey received 3,006 responses, of which 2,975 were validated (2,312 from LGBTI+ respondents and 663 from heterosexual respondents). Specifically, 684 LGBTI people aged 50 and over were in the sample; 91 were aged 65 and over. The mixed target audience (by age and sexual orientation) allowed us to understand whether and to what extent the lives of older and older LGBTI people are specific to or similar to those of other LGBTI generations and heterosexual people of the same age. Due to its richly structured objectives, methodological complexity, national coverage, and the unprecedented sample size of its primary target audience, "Gli anni che passaggio" is a benchmark for the issues of LGBTI aging and old age in Italy today. The second research project, conducted between February and April 2019, consisted of six focus groups, organized in six different cities (Padua, Naples, Rome, Milan, Turin, and Bologna) and open to representatives of the LGBTI community aged 50 and over, involving a total of 61 people. The focus groups are a form of collective interview, lasting approximately two hours, facilitated by a facilitator, in this case Dr. Ilaria Iseppato, PhD in Sociology, who provides insights and questions for reflection on the topics under investigation, facilitating discussion and exchange.
Download the two research reports here:
 |
The years that pass |
|
Qualitative focus groups |
Here the press release
The results of the action research on intergenerational LGBTI cohousing
“"LGBTI Seniors and Intergenerational Cohousing: A Housing Model to Reduce the Risk of Isolation and Social Exclusion" is the title of the action-research report conducted by Enrico Bramerini with the team at Elea, the company that bases its vision on community integration in the local area.
The report focuses on an innovative and experimental model of "collaborative living": a program aimed at developing a "sense of LGBTI community" with people in their third and fourth years. This approach helps overcome limited family-based social support by creating conditions for active collaboration among LGBTI seniors, along with the intergenerational involvement of individuals from other age groups. The hope is to develop a model that meets the specific needs of LGBTI seniors and also reduces the risks associated with isolation and loss of self-sufficiency.
The resulting research was structured in the following interconnected ways:
- a review of Italian and European LGBTI experiences on cohousing in general and on “intergenerational cohousing” in particular;
- a study of constraints and opportunities through the examination of regulatory, administrative and sustainability elements in the specific administrative contexts of Bologna and Turin;
- the drafting of shared guidelines for the management of an "intergenerational cohousing" living space with a view to generative and community welfare, including through the study of possible applications in the local territorial context (identification of suitable structures, necessary infrastructure, possible private resources, etc.);
- the definition of preparatory actions for concrete post-project implementation.
Download the research report:
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LGBTI people and intergenerational cohousing |
Download the tables in the appendix, designed to be printed in A2 format or larger, as operational support tools for implementing a path that leads to the launch of an intergenerational LGBTI cohousing project.
|
LGBTI Cohousing |
Here the press release
Distance learning (FAD)
The FAD is a tool for Arcigay network activists to implement the committees' services and best practices. The goal is to provide skills to effectively prevent and combat discrimination against people over 55, and to facilitate awareness of their needs and resources.
The course is organized into two modules, each consisting of six lessons. Each module presents the content through short presentations, infographics, and in-depth videos. Specifically:
- The first module focuses on the needs of the elderly in general, with a review of theoretical content useful for defining the third and fourth ages and the social, political, and cultural issues related to them.
- The lessons in Module 2 are based on the study conducted as part of the Silver Rainbow project, which includes: the results of the “The Years Passing” survey and the report of the in-depth focus group.
All activists and volunteers of the Arcigay network will be able to access the FAD by registering their email account or, if they have an account [email protected] you will already be able to access the platform automatically.
The FAD is accessible at the following URL: https://fad.arcigay.it/
To register click here: https://fad.arcigay.it/login/signup.php?
Social Network
We've created a project Facebook page where we share our ongoing activities, publish excerpts and graphic clips of the research we've conducted, and share news of interest to the community and upcoming events taking place in the participating areas.
The page is accessible at the following URL: https://www.facebook.com/silverainbow/
Contact
For specific information about the project, write to: [email protected][:en]
Silver Rainbow: a program to combat the involuntary loneliness of LGBTI seniors and promote active aging.
The project
Arcigay National LGBTI Association, in partnership with Arci Pesca FISA, is the leader of the "SILVER RAINBOW" project – Multilevel actions for the positive aging of the elderly LGBTI population, the fight against involuntary loneliness, intergenerational dialogue and the promotion of acceptance and visibility in non-LGBTI contexts. The project is funded by the Ministry of Labor and Social Policies pursuant to Article 72 of Legislative Decree no. 117 of July 3, 2017, for the year 2017.
With this project, we intend to work to combat involuntary loneliness and empower older LGBTI people, with a long-term intervention program for LGBTI seniors (over 60) and seniors (over 75). The aging process itself is a condition that leads individuals to a period of life in which they are at greater risk of invisibility, involuntary loneliness, and social exclusion. third and fourth age LGBTI It is an even more complex and relatively new issue that must be addressed on multiple levels.
Today, senior LGBTI people are generally invisible and involuntary loneliness for the LGBTI elderly is therefore a concrete and double risk.: as an older person and as an LGBTI person. On the one hand, the stigma surrounding aging carries a significant weight within the LGBTI community and culture, and it's an issue that even older adults over 50 who are approaching old age must contend with. On the other hand, their LGBTI identity presents multiple risks, or at least challenges, which change depending on their greater or lesser "visibility" as LGBTI people. Added to this is the potential fragility of social support, which in Italy is often based on blood family ties, a support system that is destined to diminish for older LGBTI people without descendants.
There is a lack of “role models” on aging well for LGBTI people, although there are experiences that address, for example, the issue of housing for LGBTI third and fourth age groups by looking at intergenerational co-housing or similar models. And besides The LGBTI elder is already putting resources into action today to cope with change, but we don't know them.
The idea of the project is to address this invisibility and counteract involuntary loneliness. from multiple points of view and at multiple territorial levels, a national one across the whole of Italy and a local one in the territories of Bologna and Turin, with some specific actions.
General objective The project's aim is therefore to reduce discrimination against elderly LGBTI people and to experiment with innovative forms of "living" for elderly people.
Specific objectives I am:
- greater knowledge of the needs of older LGBTI people;
- increasing expertise on LGBTI older people among caregivers in the broader sense and in organizations working on active ageing;
- reducing the generation gap between older LGBTI people and the younger LGBTI community;
- the definition of an innovative model of housing for the LGBTI older person.
The results of social research
In early 2019, an online survey was released—titled "The Years That Pass," conducted by Dr. Raffaele Lelleri, sociologist and scientific director of the research—which addressed the issues of personal and social visibility, belonging and participation, health and well-being, discrimination and victimization, current and future support networks, experiences of aging, and co-housing. The survey received 3,006 responses, of which 2,975 were validated (2,312 from LGBTI+ respondents and 663 from heterosexual respondents). Specifically, 684 LGBTI people aged 50 and over were in the sample; 91 were aged 65 and over. The mixed target audience (by age and sexual orientation) allowed us to understand whether and to what extent the lives of older and older LGBTI people are specific to or similar to those of other LGBTI generations and heterosexual people of the same age. Due to its richly structured objectives, methodological complexity, national coverage, and the unprecedented sample size of its primary target audience, "Gli anni che passaggio" is a benchmark for the issues of LGBTI aging and old age in Italy today. The second research project, conducted between February and April 2019, consisted of six focus groups, organized in six different cities (Padua, Naples, Rome, Milan, Turin, and Bologna) and open to representatives of the LGBTI community aged 50 and over, involving a total of 61 people. The focus groups are a form of collective interview, lasting approximately two hours, facilitated by a facilitator, in this case Dr. Ilaria Iseppato, PhD in Sociology, who provides insights and questions for reflection on the topics under investigation, facilitating discussion and exchange.
Download the two research reports here:
|
The years that pass |
|
Qualitative focus groups |
Here is the press release:
https://www.arcigay.it/comunicati/welfare-ricerca-arcigay-su-anziani-lgbti-temono-linvecchiamento-e-sognano-spazi-sociali-e-co-housing/
Distance learning (FAD)
The FAD is a tool for Arcigay network activists to implement the committees' services and best practices. The goal is to provide skills to effectively prevent and combat discrimination against people over 55, and to facilitate awareness of their needs and resources.
The course is organized into two modules, each consisting of six lessons. Each module presents the content through short presentations, infographics, and in-depth videos. Specifically:
- The first module focuses on the needs of the elderly in general, with a review of theoretical content useful for defining the third and fourth ages and the social, political, and cultural issues related to them.
- The lessons in Module 2 are based on the study conducted as part of the Silver Rainbow project, which includes: the results of the “The Years Passing” survey and the report of the in-depth focus group.
All activists and volunteers of the Arcigay network will be able to access the FAD by registering their email account or, if they have an account [email protected] you will already be able to access the platform automatically.
The FAD is accessible at the following URL: https://fad.arcigay.it/
To register click here: https://fad.arcigay.it/login/signup.php?
Social Network
We've created a project Facebook page where we share our ongoing activities, publish excerpts and graphic clips of the research we've conducted, and share news of interest to the community and upcoming events taking place in the participating areas.
The page is accessible at the following URL: https://www.facebook.com/silverainbow/
Contact
For specific information about the project, write to: [email protected]
