Older Lesbian, Gay And Bisexual People Research Articles

The role of sexual orientation, age, living arrangements and self-rated health in planning for end-of-life care for lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) older people in the UK.

This article reports on findings from the quantitative phase of a two-year research project designed to explore end-of-life care experiences and needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. We draw on a subset of the sample (N = 180/237) to analyse the relationship between advance care planning, sexual orientation, living arrangements and self-rated health. The results contribute to a growing body of evidence on how sexual minorities approach and make decisions on advance care planning. A greater understanding of such patterns could help inform the way healthcare professionals engage in conversations about end-of-life care planning with older LGB people.

Older gay men in Hong Kong and later life concerns: Identities matter?

Research on lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) ageing has burgeoned in the past decade in Western settings such as Australia, Canada, the UK and the US. Based on the emerging research about older gay men in Hong Kong, this article adds two important aspects to the ongoing agendas for global research into LGB ageing and later life. First, it further conceptualizes and subdivides Hong Kong's older gay men into three subgroups who hold varying levels of salience of sexual identity in their life and thus have different later life concerns. Second, to contribute to the wider LGB ageing research, I argue that at the same single time point, older LGB people in different parts of the world may hold very different understandings of their sexual identity. In some parts of the world, sexual identities may matter less for older LGB people, and thus, such older LGB people may accordingly have very different later life concerns.

All the lonely people, where do they all belong? An interpretive synthesis of loneliness and social support in older lesbian, gay and bisexual communities

Purpose Loneliness is a phenomenon which affects people globally and constitutes a key social issue of our time. Yet few studies have considered the nature of loneliness and social support for older lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people; this is of particular concern as they are among the social groups said to be at greater risk. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach Peer-reviewed literature was identified through a search of Scopus, PsycINFO and PubMed. A total of 2,277 papers were retrieved including qualitative and quantitative studies which were quality assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme. Findings In total, 11 papers were included in the review and findings were synthesised using thematic analysis. The studies were conducted in five countries worldwide with a combined sample size of 53,332 participants, of whom 4,288 were drawn from among LGB communities. The characteristics and circumstances associated with loneliness including living arrangements, housing tenure, minority stress and geographical proximity. Research limitations/implications The review suggests that among older LGB people, living alone, not being partnered and being childfree may increase the risk of loneliness. This cohort of older people may experience greater difficulties in building relationships of trust and openness. They may also have relied on sources of identity-based social support that are in steep decline. Future research should include implementation studies to evaluate effective strategies in reducing loneliness among older LGB people. Practical implications Reaching older LGB people who are vulnerable due to physical mobility or rural isolation and loneliness because of bereavement or being a carer is a concern. A range of interventions including individual (befriending), group-based (for social contact) in addition to potential benefits from the Internet of Things should be evaluated. Discussions with the VCS suggest that take up of existing provision is 85:15 GB men vs LB women. Social implications Formal social support structures which were provided by voluntary sector agencies have been disproportionately affected by recent austerity measures. Originality/value The authors sought to interrogate the tension between findings of lower levels of social support and discourses of resilient care offered by families of choice.

Ageing and lesbian, gay and bisexual relationships

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore how minority stress and the experience of societal level hostility towards lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people and their relationships may have impacted upon their relationships and relationship histories. Design/methodology/approach – This paper introduced the minority stress framework and examines the relationship histories of a small cohort aged 50 at the last sweep of data collection. Findings – The minority stress framework states that societal level hostility will lead to unequal treatment and psychological distress among minority groups, which could impact on their relationships histories. In these data, those people we identify as being LGB were significantly more likely to have had a higher number of cohabiting partnerships, were less likely to have had longer-term cohabiting relationships, and were less likely to be in a relationship at age 50. This is despite LGB people placing an equal importance on partnership and marriage. These results are accompanied by caveats, but the authors conclude that if minority stress does impact upon relationships, it is upon the stability and length of relationships. Practical implications – Compared to older LGB couples, opposite sex couples, are more likely to have been in receipt of peer and especially familial support for their relationship, particularly around times of relationship crisis. Additionally, for those same sex couples that did approach professional sources of support, such as couple counselling, heteronormative and even hostile attitudes from counselling providers may have meant that experienced and informed support was not available when needed. The findings therefore pose a challenge to service providers to ensure that relationship support and allied services are available and adapted to meet the needs of older LGB people, whose previous contacts with these service providers may have been substantially less than positive, and whose need for relationship support may be greater. Originality/value – The needs of older LGB people and their relationships are often overlooked. The use of a small sample of cohort data to examine these issues provides new insight into the way in which older LGB people may age differently to non-LGB people.

Equality of care.

The Stonewall charity, which campaigns for lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) equality, has produced a guide for health and social care providers and support organisations to working with older LGB people.