Generous donation from SAGE Board member Laurie Peter and her wife, Betsy Bernard, creates new opportunities for the SAGECare program
[New York, NY] SAGE, the world’s largest and oldest organization dedicated to improving the lives of LGBTQ+ older people, is thrilled to announce the expansion of SAGECare – SAGE’s LGBTQ+ cultural competency training and credentialing program. SAGECare provides live and on-demand trainings for any professional working with older people and credentials agencies that meet certain training thresholds. To date, SAGECare has trained and credentialed over 600 organizations, most of which are in the long-term care, assisted living, and skilled nursing sectors. Building on its successes in the long-term care and elder living sectors, SAGECare is expanding into the in-home care market.The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the importance of supports to allow older people to remain in their homes. Recognizing this, SAGE Board member Laurie Peter and her wife Betsy Bernard have made a significant gift to fuel the SAGECare program expansion. The funds will support outreach, content creation, and relationship building to replicate the program’s success in the home care sector.
“Supporting SAGECare’s training work to expand in-home care for our elders is so important and we are happy to contribute to that effort,” said Peter. Continued Bernard, “the work SAGECare has done with organizations is commendable, and to bring SAGE’s expertise to the in-home care sector is vital for LGBTQ+ elders to age in place with the dignity and care they deserve.”
“Most LGBTQ+ older people want to stay in their homes rather than enter into long-term care,” said Lynn Faria, SAGE Executive Vice President. “We also know how stressful it can be to invite paid caregivers into their homes, which is often a safe place where people can be themselves. Some LGBTQ+ elders may fear having someone in their home who could judge or give them inferior care because of who they are or who they love.” Continued Faria, “that’s why we are so grateful to Laurie and Betsy for their investment, which will advance SAGECare’s engagement with agencies that provide in-home care and support.”
The work is already underway. SAGE recently partnered with CareAcademy, an organization that trains home care and home health agencies through its best-in-class online education platform, to incorporate SAGECare’s LGBTQ+ cultural competency content into their platform.
For more information or to join SAGE in this exciting work, please contact Karen Cushing, SAGECare Business Development Lead, at kcushing@sageusa.org.
ABOUT SAGE: SAGE is the world’s largest and oldest organization dedicated to improving the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) older people. Founded in 1978 and headquartered in New York City, SAGE is a national organization that offers supportive services and consumer resources to LGBTQ+ older people and their caregivers. SAGE also advocates for public policy changes that address the needs of LGBTQ+ elders, provides education and technical assistance for aging providers and LGBTQ+ community organizations through its National Resource Center on LGBTQ+ Aging, and cultural competency training through SAGECare. With staff located across the country, SAGE also coordinates SAGENet, a growing network of affiliates in the United States. Learn more at sageusa.org.
