Social Spaces for Older Queer Adults
Develop your understanding of the social and community wellbeing of older queer adults.
How do older queer adults navigate space, community, and social environments?
Focussing on the lived experiences of a group of queer adults, often ignored by social policy, community planning, and aged care services, David Betts aims to provide social workers with the tools necessary to support their wellbeing.
Social Spaces for Older Queer Adults compares historical reflections and contemporary experiences. It considers the political and legislative developments in Aotearoa New Zealand regarding sexual and gender diversity, and the influence this has had on the personal wellbeing and sense of community for older queer adults. This book also examines the label of the ‘queer unwanted’, the notion of queer ageing, and the concerns and preparation needed to support the community in these contexts.
Essential reading for providing insight on how to adapt practice to support older queer adults, this book is ideal for practitioners and students of social work and human development, LGBT+ Studies, Psychology, Gender Studies, Community Development Studies, and Gerontology.
How do older queer adults navigate space, community, and social environments?
Focussing on the lived experiences of a group of queer adults, often ignored by social policy, community planning, and aged care services, David Betts aims to provide social workers with the tools necessary to support their wellbeing.
Social Spaces for Older Queer Adults compares historical reflections and contemporary experiences. It considers the political and legislative developments in Aotearoa New Zealand regarding sexual and gender diversity, and the influence this has had on the personal wellbeing and sense of community for older queer adults. This book also examines the label of the ‘queer unwanted’, the notion of queer ageing, and the concerns and preparation needed to support the community in these contexts.
Essential reading for providing insight on how to adapt practice to support older queer adults, this book is ideal for practitioners and students of social work and human development, LGBT+ Studies, Psychology, Gender Studies, Community Development Studies, and Gerontology.
Content warning
Chapter 1 Social spaces and older queer adults
Chapter 2 What is social about social capital?
Chapter 3 Swings and roundabouts: shifts in policy, attitudes, and discrimination
Chapter 4 With friends like these: boundaries, barriers, and the queer unwanted
Chapter 5 Adding silver to the rainbow: age, ageism, and queer spaces
Chapter 6 Towards equality in care: understanding the needs of older queer adults in healthcare and social services
Chapter 7 Breaking barriers: social work models for empowering older queer adults in social spaces
Chapter 8 Reshaping social spaces: reflections on the way forward for social work and older queer adults
Recommended assignments and activities
Notes
References
David Betts is a Lecturer in the Social Work program in the School of Humanities, Creative Industries, and Social Sciences at the University of Newcastle, Australia.
Book Review:
A must-read for anyone committed to advancing the wellbeing of older queer adults, the book ends with a timely and relevant call for collaborative and intentional efforts to ensure older queer adults feel welcomed, valued, and fully engaged in the social spaces that are vital for their wellbeing and overall quality of life.—Milena Heinsch, University of Tasmania
Excerpted from: Heinsch, M. (2024). Social Spaces for Older Queer Adults: A Guide for Social Work Educators, Students and Practitioners: by David Betts, UK, Lived Places Publishing, 2023, 206 pp., $43.85 (paperback), ISBN 9781915734051; $41.24 (eBook), ISBN 1915734053. Australian Social Work, 1–2. https://doi.org/10.1080/0312407X.2024.2413210
Published online: 21 Nov 2024
