Keep older same-sex couples together
“Older gay and lesbian couples need to be treated with the same respect and offered the same opportunities as any other couple in the aged care system,” a senior Liberal MP has told DPS News. “We need to make sure we get policies right so that these groups coming through the system are treated the same,” Member for Leichhardt in north Queensland, Warren Entsch, said.
“Older gay and lesbian couples need to be treated with the same respect and offered the same opportunities as any other couple in the aged care system,” a senior Liberal MP has told DPS News.
“We need to make sure we get policies right so that these groups coming through the system are treated the same,” Member for Leichhardt in north Queensland, Warren Entsch, said.
The comments came after the long-time gay rights advocate announced he would not support same-sex marriage legislation due to come before federal parliament next year.
High on his agenda, as founder of the Parliamentary Friends of Lesbian, Gay Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Australians, was aged care for homosexual men and women.
“There are still some gaps in dealing with the aged care community and there is not a lot of training for aged care staff in dealing with issues relating to gay and lesbian residents,” Mr Entsch said, adding he would not allow himself to become “distracted” from the issues at hand.
“We need to keep older gay and lesbian couples together and not separate them when they enter the aged care system because of a lack of understanding or legislative requirements. We need greater aged care education and protocols.”
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