Authors
Tamara Sussman, Shari Brotman, Heather MacIntosh, Line Chamberland, Judith MacDonnell, Andrea Daley, Jean Dumas, Molly Churchill
Publication
June 2018
Abstract
It is critical to ensure that long-term care (LTC) homes are sensitive to the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) older adults. However, the extent to which the LTC home sector has adopted recommended strategies is unknown. This qualitative study reports findings from two initiatives: Semi-structured telephone interviews with Canadian LTC home administrators on strategies adopted to support LGBT inclusivity (n = 32), and discussions with participants attending a 2-day meeting on supporting LGBT inclusivity in LTC (n = 25). We found that LGBT inclusivity training was the most commonly adopted strategy among the LTC homes surveyed. Study findings further suggested that practices more visible to residents and families, such as LGBT-themed programming, inclusive language and symbols, or joint initiatives with LGBT communities, were less commonly adopted because of anticipated negative resident/family reactions. The importance and benefits of comprehensive strategies that include staff, residents, and family are discussed.
Citation
Sussman, T., Brotman, S., MacIntosh, H., Chamberland, L., MacDonnell, J., Daley, A., Dumas, J., & Churchill, M. (2018). Supporting Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Inclusivity in Long-Term Care Homes: A Canadian Perspective. Canadian journal on aging = La revue canadienne du vieillissement, 37(2), 121–132. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0714980818000077Open Access
No