I don’t want to go back into the closet just because I need care”: Recognition of older LGBTQ adults in relation to future care needs

ABSTRACTThere is increasing awareness in research about the social service needs ofolder LGBTQ adults. However, there are few studies that deal withdifferences in this community regarding elder care services. As a rule,transgender individuals are not included in these studies. This studyfocuses on how older Swedish LGBTQ adults reason about openness inan elder care context concerning their future needs for services andadopts Nancy Fraser’s theoretical framework of recognition. The materialconsists of fifteen semi-structured interviews with older LGBTQ adults.The results indicate that the main concern for older LGBTQ individuals isbeing accepted for their preferred sexual orientation and/or genderidentity in elder care. However, there were differences regarding thatconcern in this LGBTQ group. There were also a variety of approaches inthe group as to preferences for equal versus special treatment withrespect to their LGBTQ identity. In addition, there were differences as towhether they prefer to live in LGBTQ housing or not. The findingscontribute to existing knowledge by highlighting the diverse views onelder care services in both this group of interviewees and its subgroups.These findings emphasise the importance of the social work practicerecognising different preferences and having an accepting approach.The results can further provide guidance on how to design elder careservices for older LGBTQ adults