Margie Adam
As we get older, many LGBT people experience a sense of growing invisibility. We’re not as likely to show up at the marches, conferences, and concerts. We’re less likely to gather. What would draw me out of the nest with my gang would be a set of services and activities that celebrates and rekindles our precious LGBT life experiences. Openhouse is already a national model in this regard, and it’s going to do much more for thousands more of us in the near future.
Margie Adam is a musician, composer and an Openhouse Community Ambassador.
Richard Davis
We have to know that caregivers who come to our homes respect us. That’s just one way Openhouse can be there for us when we’re older. None of us knows what kind of help we’re going to need in the years ahead, but we all know that we will need it. I think of Openhouse as a kind of ‘assurance policy.’ I want to assure that Openhouse will be there for me.
Richard Davis is a senior director at BNY Wealth Management and an Openhouse Community Ambassador.
Bertie Brouhard
I’ve watched people get nourished in many ways at Openhouse. For a lot of people, it’s a real life preserver. Looking ahead, we’ve got an ever-growing crowd of LGBT seniors in San Francisco who are going to turn to Openhouse. It’s a wonderful organization, one that deserves to grow and prosper. It needs more space, and it certainly needs more money to expand the work they’re doing.
Bertie Brouhard is a retired corporate executive and an Openhouse Community Ambassador.
Gloria Cavanaugh
Most of the agencies serving elders in San Francisco are gay-friendly. Does that mean they go out of their way specifically to provide services and make their programs consistently comfortable for LGBT elders? No. It isn’t their priority. With its singular purpose to support the LGBT community, Openhouse is a unique and powerful advocate within the broader network of aging-related services. The visibility of Openhouse and LGBT seniors will be even more necessary in the years ahead.
Gloria Cavanaugh was the president and CEO of the American Society on Aging for 31 years and serves on the Openhouse Board of Directors.
Shireen McSpadden
The idea of providing for LGBT older adults is relatively new, and we are one of the few cities in the country with a robust program—especially thanks to Openhouse. All of us are well served by organizations that can effectively meet people where they are today while planning for what their communities will look for tomorrow. Openhouse does that. Its growth over the last five years has made a huge difference and I have no doubt that the next five will be even bigger.
Shireen McSpadden is deputy director of the San Francisco Department of Aging and Adult Services and a member of the Openhouse Circle of Friends.
Gladwin Solomon
Going to Openhouse makes my life more meaningful. And it definitely takes me away from feeling isolated because I’ve made lots of friends there. Sometimes I go two or three times a week for my men’s group, exercise classes and yoga, and also for meals. It’ll be great when the new Openhouse facility opens because it will be larger and have rooms designed for the specific kinds of activities we do.
Gladwin Solomon is an Openhouse participant.
Recent Comments