Springfield’s AgeLinc – the Area Agency on Aging serving central Illinois – is hosting a specialized training for other organizations to help protect older adults from harassment and attacks.
OUTSafe is a program geared toward raising awareness of the special concerns of older adults who identify as LGBTQ+. The LGBTQ+ community has seen an increase in attacks, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The training, which is open to social service organizations, health care workers, law enforcement and others, teaches inclusive language and other skills to help older adults feel secure in difficult situations.
“Education is power,” AgeLinc Director of Development Scott Linde said. “The more education an individual has, the more power they have. If someone is not educated about the LGBTQ community and we are able to educate them, they have that power to be more understanding and acceptable.”
The OUTSafe program is funded in part by a grant from the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government. It is distributed to hundreds of newspapers, radio and TV stations statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, along with major contributions from the Illinois Broadcasters Foundation and Southern Illinois Editorial Association.
