MA H778

Establishes a permanent commission on older LGBTQ adults and their caregivers, replacing the existing temporary structure under Section 71 of Chapter 3 of the General Laws

Commission membership includes state officials (Secretary of Elder Affairs, Commissioner of Public Health, Director of Housing and Community Development), LGBTQ advocacy organizations (Fenway Health, GLAD, MassEquality), and aging services groups (AARP Massachusetts, Mass Home Care)

Governor appoints 5 members including an elder law attorney, an LGBTQ policy/research expert, and 3 LGBTQ older adults (at least 1 transgender), with required geographic representation from Cape Cod, western Massachusetts, and central Massachusetts

Commission duties include studying health, housing, financial, psychosocial, and long-term care needs of older LGBTQ adults and recommending policy improvements for equality of access and treatment

Specific focus areas include preventing premature institutional care admission, developing statewide training curricula for provider competency, reducing isolation, preventing abuse and exploitation, and improving outreach to reduce apprehension about mainstream services