SAGE Metro Detroit is an affiliate of the national Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders organization that is the nation's largest and oldest organization dedicated to aiding the lives of LGBTQ older adults. Angela Perone serves as its director and has her sights set on expanding existing programming in 2019.
"Our main priority is to expand and to continue to do the work that we're doing but doing it bigger and better and to unroll new programs and new initiatives for LGBTQ older adults," Perone said. "For the programming aspect, we have our Friendly Caller program. It's essentially a program that matches LGBT older adults who may be at risk for social isolation or are currently experiencing social isolation to other LGBT people or allies. And that's already shown promise in reducing social isolation and depression as well."
SAGE Metro is also collaborating with Wayne State University and Corktown Health Center for an even bigger project.
"We're teaming up to help implement different programmatic initiatives to help open a health clinic in Metro Detroit that's focused on providing care to older LGBT adults," she said. "It's the first of its kind in Michigan and we received support from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund to do that. … Then we're also going to be training a minimum of 15 organizations through this initiative that will be serving this new health clinic for LGBT older adults. We're excited about that new initiative and it's a two-year program that's going to start right at the beginning of 2019."
More information about programs can be found at sagemetrodetroit.org.
