A report from the Centre for Ageing Better highlights significant challenges facing England’s growing older LGBTQ+ population. Researchers found that senior members of the community experience poorer health outcomes, more limited finances, and greater social isolation compared to the broader older population. Without appropriate specialist support, the report warns this demographic risks being forced to conceal their identity when receiving care services, potentially delaying access to needed assistance due to concerns about homophobia and discrimination.
Stories from individuals within the community illustrate these concerns. Adam Preston from the LGBT Foundation describes instances where older LGBTQ+ people hide personal items such as wedding photos or pride flags when caregivers visit, or remove these symbols entirely upon entering residential care facilities. Some have reportedly encountered carers offering to pray for them regarding their sexual orientation. Sarah Wilkinson from the Centre for Ageing Better notes that older LGBTQ+ people face compounded challenges, experiencing both the effects of a lifetime of homophobia and transphobia alongside contemporary ageism.
Data from the report reveals disparities in family and social support structures. Older LGBTQ+ individuals are less likely to have children and more frequently estranged from biological family members compared to heterosexual counterparts. More than half of gay and bisexual men aged 65 and above live alone, compared with less than a quarter of heterosexual men in that age group. Only half of gay and bisexual men aged 50 and above report having someone they can definitely rely on for help if needed, 14 percentage points lower than heterosexual men of the same age.
In response to these gaps, specialized housing schemes are emerging. Kindred House, set to open in Manchester next year, represents the first such LGBTQ+ social housing development for over-55s in the region. The scheme will provide 80 self-contained apartments with 24/7 care teams staffed by personnel trained in LGBTQ+ inclusion practices. London’s Tonic, which opened in 2021 with 19 apartments, became the UK’s first LGBTQ+ retirement community. Similar projects operate in Spain, Sweden, Germany, the US, and Canada, though such initiatives remain rare throughout the UK.
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