January 9, 2024 —Oberlin, Ohio (6/11/2023) – Kendal at Oberlin is happy to announce its designation as a “LGBTQ+ Long-Term Care Equality High Performer” in the Human Rights Campaign Foundation and SAGE’s Long-Term Care Equality Index (LEI). The LEI is the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey of residential long-term care and senior housing communities on policies and practices dedicated to the equitable treatment and inclusion of their LGBTQ+ residents, visitors and employees. This year, 200 senior housing communities across 34 states participated in the LEI. Kendal at Oberlin is the only senior housing provider in Lorain County to be recognized in the LEI program. The state of Ohio was well-represented with more participants than any other state in the U.S.
Many Kendal at Oberlin staff and residents worked towards completing the survey, led by Michele Tarsitano-Amato, Director of Creative Arts Therapy and Dementia Specialist. Michele says, “As a founding staff member of Kendal at Oberlin, I am proud that we have achieved a high performer rating with LEI. This rating reflects our values of equality and respect for all individuals.”
Many older LGBTQ+ adults are fearful of living their authentic selves or faced with outright discrimination against them and their families simply because of who they are. In a study by AARP, 76 percent of older LGBTQ+ people expressed concern about having adequate social support to rely on as they age.
“With anti-LGBTQ+ extremism on the rise, it is more important than ever to create safer spaces for LGBTQ+ people and that includes the places we age. It’s powerful to see more than 200 communities come together with HRC and SAGE to deliver on values of inclusion and equity,” said Kelley Robinson, President of the Human Rights Campaign. “Our older LGBTQ+ community – the ones whose shoulders we stand on – are so often forgotten, and they deserve more from all of us. The participation in our first-ever LEI is a huge step forward in uplifting and protecting the needs and rights of our elders.”
The LEI measures the following policy and practice areas as benchmarks of LGBTQ+ inclusion in senior housing settings:
- Non-Discrimination and Staff Training
- Resident Services & Support
- Employee Benefits & Policies
- Resident & Community Engagement
For more information on the LEI and to view the 2023 report, visit https://www.hrc.org/resources/long-term-care-equality-index.
About Kendal at Oberlin
Kendal at Oberlin is a vibrant, diverse, inclusive, and caring nonprofit life plan community serving older adults in northeast Ohio. Located about one mile from Oberlin College and Conservatory, and about a 40 minute drive from downtown Cleveland, Kendal offers a resident-led lifestyle with access to music, art, and lifelong learning. We are an affiliate of the Kendal System, offering values-driven services in the Quaker tradition.