A Catholic nursing home in Cologne, Germany, is part of a pilot program aimed at strengthening care for LGBTQ+ older adults.
The Caritas Association of the City of Cologne launched this program in 2022 at St. Maternus Nursing Home. The program includes pastoral care tailored to the needs of LGBTQ+ older adults, workshops for staff to facilitate sensitive care, and a “Queer Older People” workshop, an opportunity for participants to share experiences and express their needs. This includes specialized activities such as “An Evening of the Arts”.
According to WorldCrunch, there are an estimated 1.8 million gay people over the age of 60 living in Germany, a number that has led Cologne to recognize the growing need for facilities that can provide sensitive care to this population. It was useful.
Ulrich Schwarz, head of care at the Cologne Caritas association, agreed with the city’s assessment, saying: “We think the same way and said we have to help.”
According to Andreas Heek, coordinator of Germany’s LGBTQ+ Pastoral Care Center, LGBTQ+ older adults can face unique challenges when living in a nursing home, adding to the challenges they have already faced throughout their lives. It is said that this will further exacerbate discrimination against deaf people.
“Older gay people in particular have suffered from marginalization and sometimes criminalization in the past. Many older people have had a difficult journey to being able to live their identities openly today. When you step into a new nursing home environment, you may feel like you have to start all over again and you’re all alone…that’s why having a special focus on your facility can be so helpful. .”
If older adults have become accustomed to “going out” only among their loved ones in their homes, they may re-enter the closet due to fear of discrimination from health care providers when transitioning to a nursing home. There is. They may have lost the only community or partner they could live with.
Residents with dementia may experience great anxiety and fear if they feel like they have traveled back in time to a time when homosexuality was criminalized. The pilot program aims to address these unique circumstances through community building, pastoral accompaniment, and staff training.
Schwartz hopes to expand the program to all seven Caritas nursing homes in Cologne, and reports that there has been “no negative feedback from church officials.” Some non-Catholic nursing homes have recognized the need for LGBTQ+ elder care as well, but the need remains great. WorldCrunch explained:
“Gay Counseling Services in Berlin has been awarded a quality seal called “Lebensort Vielfalt.” To do so, facilities must meet certain standards, including training half of their staff in gay-friendly care. Only 20 nursing homes and care services [of approximately 16,000 across Germany] I have received the sticker so far.
“For residents like Helmut Baumeister, an 81-year-old bisexual man, living in St. Maternus gives him the opportunity to live his own life, accepting both his sexual orientation and his faith. I believe that there is no contradiction between being gay and being gay. [stating:]
“I can’t imagine my life without the church. Many people leave without thinking about the church. But I think you need something in your life that brings stability. It’s a church.”
This program improves the lives of residents as well as staff. Meik Schmitz found refuge at St. Maternas, where many of her colleagues identify as queer as well. Schmitz grew up in a Catholic household, but faced rejection from his family and church community and distanced himself from him. At St. Mother’s, he found community not only with his colleagues but also with the residents. Whether it’s marching with residents in the Christopher Street Day Pride Parade or hearing the stories of residents who have lost loved ones to AIDS, St. Maternas’ focus on LGBTQ+ senior care is Caregivers like Schmitz and residents like Baumeister were able to connect and heal together. .
—Phoebe Carstens (They/Them), New Ways Ministry, October XX, 2024
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