About Us

Working for our community

Vision

Advocacy, Dignity, Respect.

LGBTI elders should be welcomed and feel safe to be themselves in all environments and with all services.

Older LGBTI people will enjoy a rewarding quality of life, feeling safe and confident to express their diversity.

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Older man smiles
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Two older women smiling and holding chickens on their arms

Mission

We put people first.

To create a responsive and inclusive mature age environment that promotes and supports a quality life for older people of diverse sexualities and gender identities.

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You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.

C.S. Lewis

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As we grow

GRAI was formed in 2005 in response to fears from older LGBTI community members that they would have to ‘return to the closet’ as they aged because aged care services were believed to be unwelcoming of LGBTI people.

In 2010 GRAI worked with Curtin University to research attitudes within the residential sector regarding LGBTI people. The report, ‘We don’t have any of those people here’, demonstrated that the aged care sector was poorly prepared to serve people of diverse gender identities and sexualities.

Together with others around Australia, GRAI advocated for law reform to protect the rights of LGBTI older people. GRAI’s research provided an important foundation for this successful law reform campaign, which, among other things, established ‘Special Needs’ status for LGBTI people in aged care. Consequently, aged care providers are obliged to provide LGBTI-inclusive service in order to comply with the amended Aged Care Act.

At the present time, GRAI is federally funded to deliver LGBTI inclusivity training to the aged care and allied – health sectors. The ‘Right to Belong’ training is regularly delivered to frontline staff in metro and regional aged care facilities, and the Silver Rainbow Community of Practice program is delivered to Managers and CEOs to assist them to change policy and practice throughout an organisation. 

Loneliness becomes a significant issue for many LGBTI people as they age. Friendship, and particularly the friendship of other LGBTI people, is very important, because it can provide safety and recognition. In response to this need, GRAI has obtained funding for a Village Hub and Befriending Service. A central objective is to bring isolated and lonely LGBTI people aged 50+ together for social and supportive activities.

As the first of its kind in Australia, GRAI’s Befriending programme aims to reach isolated and lonely older LGBTI people, and to pair them up with an LGBTI peer for regular company and support. In addition to one-one-one visits and outings, befriending pairs are invited to attend Village Hub activities that cater to the interests and needs of older LGBTI people (as guided by the Elders’ Advisory Group).

In 2022, GRAI initiated this inaugural survey of LGBTI people 50+ years living in WA as part of its Village Hub program. The intention of the survey was to seek the views of older LGBTI people to guide the development and direction of the GRAI Village Hub.

The survey sought to provide a snapshot of the physical, emotional and mental health, financial wellbeing, housing security, loneliness and social connections of LGBTI people over 50. We also asked questions to identify the types of social activities older LGBTI people were interested in engaging with and what was a barrier to engaging in social activities.

The survey provides an evidence base on the current wellbeing of older LGBTI people that GRAI can use to support future funding applications. It will also be used to inform the range of future social events and activities that GRAI will offer to the older LGBTI community.

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Check our latest report:

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