By Ashley M. Casey
Associate Editor
Getting older can be difficult, especially for someone who doesn’t have close family or friends to rely on for help. That is the case for many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.
“People who are aging in the LGBT community are less likely to have children to rely on for support, less likely to have connections to biological family and are more likely to live alone,” said SAGE Upstate Executive Director Kim Dill. “We’ve lived a pretty scary history. It makes us more reluctant to reach out for help because we don’t know who we can really trust.”
Fortunately for older LGBT Central New Yorkers, SAGE Upstate is there to lend a helping hand. Dill said the organization, which was founded in 1997, strives to offer a supportive, welcoming, affirming environment.
Next week, CNY can give back to SAGE Upstate in a fundraiser at Applebee’s in North Syracuse.
Community Living Advocates, a Liverpool-based networking organization for service providers that cater to seniors, helped coordinate the “Dining to Donate” event, which takes place from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21. CLA’s professional networking event takes place the same day from 4 to 6:30 p.m.
Applebee’s will donate 10% of sales to SAGE Upstate when customers present the “Dining to Donate” flyer, which can be found at facebook.com/events/707208559757490.
“I got to know SAGE several months ago and I invited them to one of my senior fairs,” said Nancy Aureli, owner of Community Living Advocates.
Aureli gave a presentation about advance care planning at SAGE Upstate, which is located within the CNY Philanthropy Center in Syracuse.
“I had this amazingly great group of seven to nine people who were just so inquisitive and they loved the topic,” Aureli said. “They were just as giving to me as I was to them.”
So, when planning her next networking event, Aureli decided to add a charity component to benefit SAGE Upstate.
“They do so much for our community,” she said. “I don’t think it’s easy for them to be themselves, so supporting them is important.”
SAGE Upstate offers a variety of programming for older LGBT people from across upstate New York, ranging from wellness workshops and fitness classes to monthly potlucks to specialized support and meeting groups for men, people of color, trans people and caregivers. Dill said the center hosts more than 40 programs or events each month and has satellite groups in Oswego and Utica.
“We find that people who meet at SAGE for health, social or enrichment programs, they form networks with people who offer them support,” Dill said. “You need to have a full life.”
According to the National Institutes of Health, social isolation can lead to depression and increase the risk of early death. Maintaining friendships and relationships can act as a buffer against stress and illness.
Among SAGE’s groups is SAGE Shares, which checks in with home-bound or hospitalized Central New Yorkers through phone calls, visits and cards.
“Our programs are also open to everyone whether you’re a part of the LGBT community or not, whether you’re older or not,” Dill said. “If you’re an ally — if you’re not part of the LGBT community but you care about us or someone you know is — we rely on allies to get the word out to people in the community.”
To learn more about SAGE Upstate, visit sageupstate.org. To learn more about CLA, visit communitylivingadvocates.com.