LGBTQ seniors have lived and aged in a context where sexualities and gender identities outside the norm have been criminalized and pathologized and, many times, have not been socially accepted. Research illustrates how many people within this group worry for future needs of eldercare where they fear being discriminated against by staff or other residents. There are however few studies exploring what the experiences of receiving eldercare actually look like, which is what this study sets out to explore. The study is based on qualitative interviews with people 66-84 years old (born between 1935 and 1953) who have home-care-services or live in eldercare facilities. A first round of interviews was carried out in 2019 and a follow up round in 2020. In addition, focus group interviews have been conducted with LGBT people who are organized in the community around the theme of eldercare.

Preliminary analytical themes focus on issues, such as being out and open around sexuality and gender identity, strategies, integrity, home, and blurred lines between private and public. The analysis also points to the need to see these experiences in the light of a larger context where the organization of eldercare has been subjected to reduction of resources, privatizations and where the public resources have diminished while the older population has been growing during the past thirty years.

Responsible for the project: Anna Siverskog

Time frame: 2018-2022