LGBTQ ageing addresses issues and concerns related to the ageing of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people. Due to historic and current discrimination, LGBTQ people are less likely to have access to appropriate healthcare and housing. These inequities, as well as common differences in family and social structure, lead to differences in the social support systems available for ageing LGBTQ people. Research on LGBTQ ageing is still emerging, as are policy and community-based approaches to improving the quality of life of LGBTQ seniors.
Research overview There has been a growth of interest in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender ageing in recent years,Westwood, S, King, Andy, Almack, Kathy and Suen, Y-T (2015) Good Practice in Health and Social Care Provision for Older LGBT people. In J. Fish and Kate Karban (eds) Social Work and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans Health Inequalities: International Perspectives pp 145-159. Bristol: Policy Press. particularly in academic literature from the USA,Kimmel, Douglas, Rose, Tara and David, Steven (eds) (2006). Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Ageing. New York: Columbia University Press. the UK,Cronin, Ann (2006). ‘Sexuality in gerontology: A heteronormative presence, a queer absence.’ In S.O. Daatland and S. Biggs (eds) Ageing and Diversity: Multiple Pathways & Cultural Migrations, pp. 107-122. Bristol: Policy Press. Australia,Harrison, Jo (2006). ‘Coming Out Ready or Not! Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Ageing and Aged Care in Australia: Reflections, Contemporary Developments and the Road Ahead.’ Gay & Lesbian Issues and Psychology Review, 2(2): 44-53. Canada,Brotman, Shari, et al. (2007). ‘Coming Out to Care: Caregivers of Gay and Lesbian Seniors in Canada.’ Gerontologist, 47: 490-503. the Netherlands,Fokkema, Tineke and Kuyper, Lisette (2009). ‘The Relation Between Social Embeddedness and Loneliness among Older Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Adults in the Netherlands.’ Archives of Sexual Behavior, 38(2): 264-275. IsraelDr. Yitschak Shnoor and Dr. Ayelet Berg-Warman, "The Needs of Aging LGBTs," Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute (Jerusalem), 2019. and Ireland.GLEN, Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (2011) Visible Lives: Identifying the experiences and needs of older lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Ireland. Dublin: GLEN.
The earliest waves of research sought ‘to challenge the image of the lonely and bitter old queer’Hughes, Mark (2006). ‘Queer ageing.’ Gay and Lesbian Issues and Psychology Review, 2(2): 54-59, p. 57. and ‘suggested that older gay men and lesbians are not alone, isolated, or depressed but benefit from navigating a stigmatized identity through crisis competence’,Fredriksen-Goldsen, Karen I. and Muraco, Anna (2010). ‘Aging and Sexual Orientation: A 25-year review of the literature.’ Research on Aging, 32(3): 372-413, p.402 which also informs resilience in dealing with inequalities associated with older age. Subsequent authors questioned the positive bias which may have been present in some of these initial studies.Berger, Raymond (1996). Gay and Gray: The Older Homosexual Man, Second Edition. New York: Routledge. More recent research has focused on health, housing and social care and support needs,Carr, S. and Ross, P. (2013) Assessing current and future housing and support options for older LGB people. York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation. older LGBT rights Knauer, N. (2009). ‘LGBT Elder Law: Toward Equity in Aging.’ Harvard Journal of Law and Gender, 32, 301-358. and also the differences between and among older LGBT individuals, particularly in relation to gender.Averett, Paige, Yoon, Intae and Jenkins, Carol L. (2012). ‘Review of the Literature on Older Lesbians: Implications for Education, Practice, and Research.’ Journal of Applied Gerontology, 31(4): 537-561. There is a lack of research on black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) older LGBT individuals, ageing and bisexuality, issues of class and other intersections.Cronin, Ann, et al. (2011). ‘Categories and their consequences: Understanding and supporting the caring relationships of older lesbian, gay and bisexual people.’ International Social Work, 54(3): 421-435.
Informal social support
Present cohorts of older lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people are more likely to be estranged from their biological families, less likely to have children, and thus less likely to have access to intergenerational social support in later life.Guasp, A. (2011). Lesbian, gay and bisexual people in later life. London: Stonewall.Westwood, S. (2015) We See it as Being Heterosexualised, Being Put into a Care Home’: Gender, sexuality and housing/care preferences among older LGBT individuals in the UK. Health and Social Care in the Community doi: 10.1111/hsc.12265 They may have strong 'chosen family' networks, but as these tend to be formed by people of similar ages, these networks may not necessarily be able to provide the needed care and support during old age.Musingarimi, Primrose (2008). Housing Issues Affecting Older Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual People in the UK: A Policy Brief. London: The International Longevity Centre – UK (ILCUK). This means that older LGB people are more likely to need formal social care and support sooner than older heterosexual people, particularly for those whose partner has died.Almack, Kathryn, Seymour, Jane and Bellamy, Gary (2010). ‘Exploring the Impact of Sexual Orientation on Experiences and Concerns about End of Life Care and on Bereavement for Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Older People.’ Sociology, 44(5): 908-924.
Older transgender people, particularly those who have transitioned in later life, can experience rejection from biological families and so even those with children may lack access to intergenerational support.Cook-Daniels, L. (2006). Trans Ageing. In D. Kimmel, T. Rose and S. David, S. (eds) Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Ageing, pp 20-35. New York: Columbia University Press.Bailey, L, (2012) Trans ageing: thoughts on a life course approach in order to better understand trans lives, in R, Ward, I, Rivers and M, Sutherland (eds) Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender ageing: Biographical approaches for inclusive care and support, pp 51-66. London and Philadelphia, PA: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Housing and social care
Mainstream housing and social care provision (domicilary/home care, community care, supported housing, retirement and nursing home facilities) is often ill-equipped to meet the needs of older LGBT people.Addis, S, et al., 2009, The health, social care and housing needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender older people: A review of the literature, Health and Social Care in the Community, 17(6), 647-658. Many older LGBT people currently living in older age accommodation or care spaces feel the need to conceal their lives, identities and significant relationships if they can.Hash, K. M., & Netting, F. E. (2009). It takes a community: Older lesbians meeting social and care needs. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services, 21(4), 326-342. They fear being misunderstood, vulnerable to prejudice and discrimination or isolated from their families and friends. They may be especially concerned about whether their identities will be respected, their memories validated, and their needs advocated for if they develop dementia.Withall, L. (2014) Dementia, Transgender And Intersex People: Do Service Providers Really Know What Their Needs Are? Melbourne: Alzheimer's Australia.Westwood, S. (2015) Dementia, women and sexuality: How the intersection of ageing, gender and sexuality magnify dementia concerns among older lesbian and bisexual women. Dementia: The International Journal of Social Research and Practice, doi: 1471301214564446.Price, E. (2010). Coming out to care: Gay and lesbian carers’ experiences of dementia services. Health and Social Care in the Community, 18(6), 160–168.
In response to these issues and concerns a range of guidelines have been developed in the US for cultural competencyGendron, Tracey, et al. (2013). ‘Cultural Competence Training for Healthcare Professionals Working with LGBT*\ Older Adults.’ Educational Gerontology 39(6): 454-463.Fredriksen-Goldsen, K. I., et al (2014). Creating a vision for the future: Key competencies and strategies for culturally competent practice with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) older adults in the health and human services. Journal of Gerontological Social Work. Advanced on-line access. doi: 10.1080/01634372.2014.890690 and in the UK and Australia for more practical step-by-step adviceGRAI and CHIRI (GLBTI Retirement Association Inc and Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute), 2010, Best practice guidelines: Accommodating older gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans and intersex (GLBTI)people, Perth: GRAI and CHIRI. However, it is not yet clear the extent to which providers of services for older people are following these guidelines, and many older LGBT people continue to consider older age care spaces to be unsafe places in which to spend their final years.
See also LGBT Aging Project LGBT retirement issues in the United States Nursing home care Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders LGBT LGBT culture
References
Complementary references Heaphy, Brian Yip, Andrew and Thompson, Debbie (2004). ‘Ageing In A Non-Heterosexual Context.’ Ageing & Society, 24(6): 881–902. Heaphy, Brian (2009). ‘The Storied, Complex Lives of Older GLBT Adults; Choice and its limits in older lesbian and gay narratives of relational life.’ Journal of GLBT Family Studies, 5: 119–138. Jones, Rebecca (2011). ‘Imagining bisexual futures: Positive, non-normative later life.’ Journal of Bisexuality, 11(2–3): 245–270. Jones, R. & R. Ward (eds) LGBT Issues: Looking Beyond Categories: 42–55. Edinburgh: Dunedin. Persson, D. I. (2009). Unique challenges of transgender aging: Implications from the literature. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 52(6), 633–646. Rosenfeld, Dana (2003). The Changing of the Guard: Lesbian and Gay Elders, Identity and Social Change. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. Sullivan, K M, 2014, Acceptance in the Domestic Environment: The Experience of Senior Housing for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Seniors, Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 57(2–4), 235–250. Traies, Jane (2012). ‘Women Like That: Older Lesbians in the UK.’ In R. Ward, I. Rivers and M. Sutherland (eds) Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Ageing: Biographical Approaches for Inclusive Care and Support, pp 76–82, London and Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley. Wathern, T, 2013, Building a sense of community: Including older LGBT in the way we develop and deliver housing with care, London: Housing Learning & Improvement Network. Westwood, S. (2013) ‘My Friends are my Family’: an argument about the limitations of contemporary law's recognition of relationships in later life. Journal of Social Welfare & Family Law 35(3), 347–363. Wilkens, Jill. (2015). Loneliness and Belongingness in Older Lesbians: The Role of Social Groups as “Community”. Journal of lesbian studies, 19(1), 90–101. Willis, P, et al., 2014, Swimming upstream: the provision of inclusive care to older lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) adults in residential and nursing environments in Wales, Ageing & Society, DOI: 10.1017/S0144686X14001147. Witten, T.M. (2015) Elder Transgender Lesbians: Exploring the Intersection of Age, Lesbian Sexual Identity, and Transgender Identity, Journal of Lesbian Studies, 19(1), 73–89.