Project type: Erasmus+ Strategic partnership

Beginning: 01.12.2017

End: 31.03.2020

Funding: European Commission

Coordinator: Stichting Nationaal Ouderenfonds, The Netherlands

Leader: izr.prof.dr. Mojca Urek

Associates:

as. Anže Jurček mag.

as. mag. Tamara Rape Žiberna

Summary:

The non-normative sexual orientation and gender expression in combination with old age may pose a risk of discrimination and social exclusion. The old age in itself may attract prejudices and stereotypes, such as that the older people are a burden, are unable to make autonomous decisions, are surely lonely, asexual and similar. The longstanding hiding of one's identity, using tactics regarding coming out or fear of coming out may additionally have a lot of negative consequences on health and the sense of security. One of the consequences of homophobia is also that this population may be invisible in the whole life-course, also to the social and health system. In old age, such a situation may only make things worse. Rarely, this population makes use of forms of help, home visits, placements in older people's homes and all other situations that could hypothetically trigger coming out. The project Being Me is a European project within Erasmus+ in which the Faculty of Social Work cooperates with five more partners from three European countries. The innovative participatory methods (such as “World Cafe”) were used to research examples of good practice in education and develop online learning material which is available for students and professionals from the fields of social and health care services in Slovenian language.