Issues Confronting Lesbian and Gay Eldersc: The Challenge for Health and Human Services Providers

Abstract

During the past two decades, the number of people over the age of 65 in the United States has been increasing twice as fast as the rest of the population. Within this diverse group, gerontologists are increasingly aware that there also exists a large population of older lesbian, gay men, and bisexuals. Health professionals must learn to acknowledge and meet the needs of this population. This article assists in addressing the knowledge gap by acquainting the reader with the aging concerns of lesbian and gay men; the impact of homophobia on their health; common heterosexual practices and their impact on care; retirement and leisure issues; the hidden incidence of abuse and neglect; and some suggested strategies that will assist health and human services workers in providing quality care for lesbians and gays as they age.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Adelman

(1990). “Stigma, Gay Lifestyle, and Adjustment to Aging: A Study of Later-Life Gay Men and Lesbians.” JOURNAL OF HOMOSEXUALITY 20(3/4):7–32.

Barrow

(1992). AGING, THE INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIETY. New York: West.

Bell

and Weinberg

(1978). HOMOSEXUALITY: A STUDY OF DIVERSITY AMONG MEN AND WOMEN. New York: Simon and Shuster.

Berger

and Kelly

(1992). “The Older Gay Man,” in Berzon

(ed.). POSITIVELY GAY: NEW APPROACHES AND LESBIAN LIFE. Berkeley, CA: Celestial Arts.

Brower

H.T.

(1995). “Allowing for Same Sex Preference.” JOURNAL OF GERONTOLOGICAL NURSING 21(9):5–6.

Brown

L.S.

(1989). “New Voices, New Visions: Toward a Lesbian/Gay Paradigm for Psychology.” PSYCHOLOGY OF WOMEN QUARTERLY 62:228–242.

Chaimowitz

(1991). “Homophobia among Psychiatric Residents, Family Practice Residents, and Psychiatric Faculty.” CANADIAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY 36:206–209.

Davison

and Friedman

(1981). “Sexual Orientation Stereotype in the Distortion of Clinical Judgment.” JOURNAL OF HOMOSEXUALITY 6(3):37–44.

Deevey

(1990). “Older Lesbian Women An Invisible Minority.” JOURNAL OF GERONTOLOGICAL NURSING. 16(5):35–39.

10.

Dorfman

, Walter

, Burke

, and Hardin

(1995). “Issues and Challenges in Working with Lesbian Women and Gay Men.” THE COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGIST 19(2): 157–176.

11.

Friend

(1991). “Older Lesbian and Gay People: A Theory of Successful Aging.” JOURNAL OF HOMOSEXUALITY 29(3/4):99–118.

12.

Garnets

and D'Augelli

(1994). “Empowering Lesbian and Gay Communities: A Call for Collaboration with Community Psychology.” JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY 22(4):447–470.

13.

Gentry

(1992). “Caring for Lesbians in a Homophobic Society.” HEALTH CARE FOR WOMEN INTERNATIONAL 13:173–180.

14.

Gerbert

, Maguire

, and Bleecker

(1991). “Primary Care Physicians and AIDS.” JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION 226:2837–2842.

15.

Gross

(1999). “Contested Closets: The Politics and Ethics of Outing,” in Gross

and Woods

(eds.). ON LESBIANS AND GAY MEN IN MEDIA, SOCIETY, AND POLITICS. New York: Columbia University Press.

16.

Grube

(1991). “Natives and Settlers: An Ethnographic Note on Early Interactions of Older Homosexual Men with Younger Gays,” in Lee

J.A.

(ed.). GAY MID-LIFE AND MATURITY. New York: Haworth Press.

17.

Hanson

(1996). “The Violence We Face as Lesbians and Gay Men: The Landscape Both Outside and Inside our Communities.” JOURNAL OF GAY AND LESBIAN SERVICES 4(2):95–113.

18.

Harrison

(1996). “Primary Care of Lesbian and Gay Partners: Educating Ourselves and Our Students.” FAMILY MEDICINE 28(l):10–23.

19.

Hayward

, and Weissfeld

(1993). “Coming to Terms with the Era of AIDS: Attitudes of Physicians in US Residency Programs.” JOURNAL OF GENERAL INTERNAL MEDICINE 3(8):10–18.

20.

Herek

(1984). “Beyond Homophobia: A Social Psychological Perspective on Attitudes Towards Lesbians and Gay Men.” JOURNAL OF HOMOSEXUALITY 10:1–21.

21.

Herek

(1986). “The Social Psychology of Homophobia: Toward a Practical Theory.” REVIEW OF LAW AND SOCIAL CHANGE 14(4):923–934.

22.

Jacobson

and Wright

Jr. (1992). “Financial Planning: Making the Best Use of Your Money,” in Berson

(ed.). POSITIVELY GAY: NEW APPROACHES FOR GAY AND LESBIAN LIFE. Berkeley, CA: Celestial Arts.

23.

Jacobson

and Grossman

A.H.

(1996). “Older Lesbians and Gay Men: Old Myths, New Images and Future Directions,” in Savin-Williams

R.C.

and Cohen

K.M.

(eds.). THE LIVES OF LESBIANS, GAYS, AND BISEXUALS: CHILDREN TO ADULTS. Philadelphia: Harcourt Brace.

24.

Jay

K.A.

and Young

(eds.). OUT OF THE CLOSETS. New York: University Press.

25.

Kehoe

(1986). “Lesbians Over 65: A Triple Invisible Minority.” JOURNAL OF HOMOSEXUALITY 12(4): 139–152.

26.

Kelly

J. J.

, Lawrence , Hood

, Smith

, and Cook

(1988). “Nurses' Attitudes Toward AIDS.” JOURNAL OF CONTINUING EDUCATION FOR NURSES 19:78–83.

27.

Kimmel

D.C.

(1992). “The Families of Older Gay Men and Lesbians.” GERONTOLOGY 16(3):37–38.

28.

Liprnan

(1986). “Homosexuals,” in Palmore

E.B.

(ed.). HANDBOOK OF THE AGED IN THE UNITED STATES. Westport, CN: Greenwood.

29.

Marin

(1999). “Gray Men: Aging Gay Men and Lesbians Face Unique Challenges.” Available at http://www.bostonploenix.com/archive.

30.

Matthes

, Booth

, Turner

, and Kessner

(1986). “Physicians' Attitudes Toward Homosexuality: A Survey of a California Medical Society.” WESTERN JOURNAL OF MEDICINE 144:106–110.

31.

Misener

, Sowell

, Philips

, and Harris

(1997). “Sexual Orientation: A Cultural, Diversity Issue for Nursing.” NURSING OUTLOOK 45)4):178–181.

32.

Morrissey

(1996). “Attitudes of Practitioners to Lesbian, gay, and bisexual Clients.” BRITISH JOURNAL OF NURSING 5(18):980–982.

33.

Murphy

(1992). “Educating Mental Health Professionals about Gay and Lesbian Issues.” JOURNAL OF HOMOSEXUALITY 22(3/4):229–246.

34.

O'Neil

and Shalit

(1992). “Health Care of the Gay Males Patient. PRIMARY CARE 19(1):191–201.

35.

Quam

(1993). “Gay and Lesbian Aging.” Siecus Report Available at http//www.cyc.umn.edu/Diversity,Gay/gayaging.html.

36.

Quam

and Whitford

(1992). “Adaptation and Age-Related Expectations of Older Gay and Lesbian Adults.” GERONTOLOGIST 32(3):367–374.

37.

Pilemer

, and Moore

(1989). “Abuse of Patients in Nursing Homes: Findings from a Survey of Staff.” GERONTOLOGIST 29(3):314–320.

38.

Gardens

Rainbow

(1999). Available at http://www.rainbow-gardens.com/prognf.htm.

39.

Rankow

E.J.

(1995). “Lesbian Issues for the Primary Care Provider.” JOURNAL OF FAMILY PRACTICE 40(5):486–493.

40.

Reid

(1995). “Development in Later Life: Older Lesbians and Gay Lives,” in D'Augelli and Patterson

(eds.). LESBIAN, GAY, AND BISEXUAL IDENTITIES OVER THE LIFESPAN. New York: Oxford University Press.

41.

Robb

(1996). “Medical Schools Seek to Overcome ‘Invisibility’ of Gay Patients, Gay Issues in Curriculum.” CANADIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION JOURNAL 155(6):765–770.

42.

Roberts

and Sorensen

(1995). “Lesbian Health Care: A Review and Recommendations for Health Promotion in Primary Care Settings.” NURSE PRACTITIONER 20(6):42–46.

43.

Robertson

and Schachter

(1981). “Failure to Identify Venereal Disease in a Lesbian Population.” SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASE 9(2):75–76.

44.

Rosenblatt

(1990). “Survey: Abuse of Elderly Increasing.” SANTA ROSA PRESS DEMOCRAT (May 1):A3.

45.

Schatz

and O'Hanlan

(1990). ANTI-GAY DISCRIMINATION IN MEDICINE: RESULTS OF A NATIONAL SURVEY OF LESBIANS, GAY, AND BISEXUAL PHYSICIANS. San Francisco: American Association of Physicians.

46.

Schick

and Schick

(eds.) (1994). STATISTICAL HANDBOOK ON AGING AMERICANS. Phoenix: Orynx Press.

47.

Schwanberg

(1990). “Attitudes toward Homosexuality in American Health Care Literature.” JOURNAL OF HOMOSEXUALITY 19(3):117–136.

48.

Slusher

, Mayer

, and Dunkle

(1996). “Gays and Lesbians Older and Wiser (Glow): A Support Group for Older Gay People.” GERONTOLOGIST 36:118–123.

49.

Smith

, Johnson

, and Guenther

(1985). “Health Care Attitudes and Experiences during Gynecological Care among Lesbians and Bisexuals.” AMERICAN PUBLIC HEALTH 75:1085–1087.

50.

Stein

(1993). “Overview of New Developments in Understanding Homosexuals,” in Olham

, Riba

, and Tasman

(eds.). REVIEW OF PSYCHIATRY. Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatrist.

51.

Stevens

and Hall

(1988). “Stigma, Health Beliefs and Experiences with Health Care in Lesbian Women,” IMAGES 20(2):69–73.

52.

Taylor

and Robertson

(1994). “The Health Needs of Gay Men.” JOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING 20(3):560–566.

53.

Trippet

and Bain

(1993). “Physical Health Problems and Concerns of Lesbians.” WOMEN AND HEALTH 20(2)59–70.

54.

Wallick

, Cambre

, and Townsend

(1992). “How the Topic of Homosexuality Is Taught at U.S. Medical Schools.” ACADEMY OF MEDICINE 67(9(:601–603.

55.

Weeks

(1981). “The Problem of Older Homosexuals,” in Hart

and Richardson

(eds.). THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF HOMOSEXUALITY. London: Routledge and Kegan.

56.

Westefeld

and Winkrlpleck

(1983). “University Counseling Service Groups for Gay Students.” SMALL GROUP BEHAVIOR 14:121–128.

57.

Weston

(1991). FAMILIES WE CHOOSE. New York: Columbia University Press.

58.

White

(1979). “Attitudes of Psychiatric Nurses toward Same Sex Orientation.” NURSING RESEARCH 28:276–281.

59.

Wojciechowski

(1998). “Issues in Caring for Older Lesbians.” JOURNAL OF GERONTOLOGICAL NURSING 24(7):28–33.

60.

Zeidenstein

(1990). “Gynecological and Childbearing Needs of Lesbians.” JOURNAL OF NURSE MIDWIFERY 35(1):10–18.