Experts Share Resources for LGBTQ Life Planning Documents

LGBT gay pride rainbow flag

Photograph of the rainbow flag a symbol of the LGBT, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

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As our nation celebrated LGBTQ Pride Month in June, AARP Pennsylvania recently hosted a life planning event for members of the LGBTQ community to help individuals proactively plan for the future and maintain control and authority over their property and personal decision making. AARP Pennsylvania recently hosted a life planning event for members of the LGBTQ community to help individuals proactively plan for the future and maintain control and authority over their property and personal decision making.

According to a recent report Maintaining Dignity: Understanding & Responding to the Needs of Older LGBT Americans, three out of four adults age 45 and older who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender say they are concerned about having enough support from family and friends as they age.

Produced in collaboration with SeniorLAW Center, and the Mazzoni Center, participants had the opportunity to ask questions and gain insights on life preparing life planning documents from a panel of experts that included: Alex Deering, Administrative Coordinator from the SeniorLAW Center; Lawrence S. Felzer, Esq., Senior Director of Finance and Operations at SeniorLAW Center; Thomas W. Ude, Jr., Esq., Legal and Public Policy Director from the Mazzoni Center, and Dana N. Goldberg, Esq., SeniorLAW Center’s legal director.

You can watch the entire one hour session here. For additional information about preparing life planning documents for members of the LGBTQ community, you can check out the resources below: 

• SeniorLAW Center​- seeking justice for older people by using the power of the law, educating the community and advocating on local, state and national levels. www.seniorlawcenter.org​
  
• Mazzoni Center​- providing quality comprehensive health and wellness services in an LGBTQ-focused environment, while preserving the dignity and improving the quality of life of the individuals we serve. www.mazzonicenter.org​legalservices @mazzonicenter.org
  
• Philadelphia Bar Association​- serving the profession and the public by promoting access to justice, professional excellence and respect for the rule of law. https://lris.philadelphiabar.org/
  
• Pennsylvania Bar Association​- find the right lawyer, in the right location, at the right time. https://www.pabar.org/site/For-the-Public/Find-a-Lawyer​ ​
  
• PALawHELP.org – online guide to legal information and legal services in Pennsylvania​ https://www.palawhelp.org/