A Place For Mom has excellent advice on how to find assisted living and senior housing for LGBTQ residents. This is a real concern. It’s not uncommon for someone who is a senior to have lived an open life. Why would they- why should they- go back to a life of hiding who they are? From the article:

“Senior care providers confirm these worries — 54% of hospice and palliative care providers think LGBT seniors are more likely to experience discrimination, and 24% have witnessed discriminatory care first-hand, according to a 2020 study published in the Journal of Palliative Medicine.”

But, LGBT-friendly senior communities are out there and are becoming more common.

“There’s very little LGBT-specific senior housing throughout the country, especially affordable housing,” says Sydney Kopp-Richardson, director of the national LGBT elder housing initiative at SAGE, an organization that provides advocacy and service for LGBT elders. “It’s important to find senior living that’s elder-affirming — a place where staff, residents, and directors accept and affirm LGBT seniors and they don’t feel the need to go back into the closet.” The good news: welcoming senior housing options are on the rise. As of 2021, at least 1,100 affordable units of housing are available in the U.S. for older LGBTQ people, and a growing number of other communities offer LGBT-affirming resources…”

How can you find out if a specific community meets your needs? The article includes 9 questions you can ask to help determine how LGBTQ-friendly a prospective senior community might be. You can read the entire article here.