More than 39 million people in the U.S. are age 65 years or older including 2.4 million people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT). All older people face challenges as they age, including declining health, diminished income, and the loss of friends and family. However, LGBTQ+ elders may face unique financial and health challenges beyond those experienced by heterosexual individuals including discrimination, social isolation, lack of representation, and financial hardship due to discriminatory federal policies.
Financial Hardship
For older LGBTQ+ couples where one partner died before the advent of marriage equality, the surviving spouse is often denied the same benefits given to surviving spouses of heterosexual marriages. This can include Medicaid and long-term care, insurance payments, employee pension plans, and veteran’s benefits. LGBTQ+ individuals also face additional obstacles in designating the transfer of assets like retirement savings or a family home when their relationships are not legally recognized.
Access to Healthcare
Aging LGBTQ+ individuals can be targets of a variety of discriminatory acts in the workplace and within the healthcare field. And many LGBTQ+ elders who have experienced previous discrimination across their lifespan may delay or avoid seeing a doctor or non-emergency medical caregiver for necessary care and prescriptions.
Professional caregivers may not be accepting of LGBTQ clients, or not properly trained to deal with their specific needs. In a New York study, 8.3% of LGBT older adults reported being neglected or abused by a caretaker because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. They may be more vulnerable to neglect and mistreatment in aging care facilities if they face discrimination from staff or other residents and are unable to advocate for themselves, or they may be denied residency completely because of their sexual orientation.
Advocacy and Family-of-Choice
LGBTQ+ individuals are more likely than heterosexual and cisgender individuals to be childless, and to rely on family-of-choice for care and advocacy as they age. However, these relationships are still not legally recognized in many localities. As a result, partners and family members of older LGBTQ+ adults may be denied visitation in heathcare or aging care facilities, and shut out of medical and end-of-life decision-making. The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) which provides federal coverage for members of heterosexual couples to take time off of work to care for a sick spouse does not have similar provisions for LGBTQ couples.
Resources
The National Resource Center on LGBT Aging
https://www.lgbtagingcenter.org/
SAGE Advocacy and Services for LGBTQ Elders
https://www.sageusa.org/
National Health, Aging and Sexuality Study (NHAS)
http://age-pride.org/
Lesbian, Gay, and Transgender Aging (American Psychological Association)
https://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/resources/aging
Research/Whitepapers
Karen I. Fredriksen Goldsen, Sarah Jen, Anna Muraco. (2019). Iridescent Life Course: LGBTQ Aging Research and Blueprint for the Future – A Systematic Review. Gerontology 2019;65:253–274. DOI: 10.1159/000493559
Hannah M. Bashian, , MEd, Anastasia E. Canell, BA, and Nicole L. Johnson, PhD. (2018). Bisexual older adult women: A review of the literature. APA.org.
Soon Kyu Choi, Ilan H. Meyer. (2016). LGBT Aging: A Review of Research Findings, Needs, and Policy Implications. Williams Institute, UCLA School of Law.
Richard
Hi,
It is no fun getting old, especially when after years of exposure to air pollution and many other pollutants, more people than ever have some form of brain cell damage, from memory loss to dementia. Lack of access to social networks cannot be good for memory and or other brain functions.(LBGTQ+ or not).
Does Kinsey Institute have statistics on ACI ( adult consensual incest) oriented people (CIAO) in America?
ACI is legal in many countries ( Rhode Island and New Jersey states in USA) .Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, People’s Republic of China, Estonia, France,
Georgia, India, Israel, Italy ( if no scandal is caused) Ivory Coast, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kirghiz Republic, North Korea, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands ,New Jersey (US)
Pakistan, Portugal, Rhode Island ((US), Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Tajikistan, Thailand,Turkey,Turkmenistan Ukraine,Uzbekistan
CIAO people around the world are very much discriminated against.
CIAO people have to live secret lives, couples can be jailed if ‘outed’ just like it was for gay people in America until the law was changed. Incestophobia is rampant in USA still, with even many seemingly progressive quite misinformed about the amount of danger of birth defects actually attributable to ACI (likely to be less than one case out of 2000 cases for non-CIAO people. I agree there should be less discrimination ( private and government against LBGTQ+ people) but I think the discrimination against CIAO people should be ended too.
Here is my petition to the French government. http://chng.it/NLbPLYsdBt