LGBTQ+ Adults Can Feel Vulnerable When Receiving Health Care

By

Cassandra Cantave Burton

A Deeper Dive Into Dignity 2024: Qualitative Findings brings additional understanding to the Dignity 2024: Experience of LGBTQ+ Older Adults quantitative data.  Deeper Dive adds nuances and

narratives with real life stories that help create empathy and humanize the issues that impact LGBTQ+ adults as they are getting older, particularly around physical and mental health, health

care, caregiving, relationships and social isolation.

LGBTQ+ people feel vulnerable in health care spaces, which compromises the quality of their care.

A simple health care visit requires individuals to be honest with the provider to receive an accurate diagnosis and proper care. This can be difficult to achieve for some LGBTQ+ people who

are often cautious and looking for signs of a welcoming environment — leading some to hide their identity (when possible) or even avoid the health care system altogether.

There are varying ways that discrimination is experienced in the health care space.

Respondents’ stories of discrimination in health care reveal challenges that range from a feeling of discomfort, worrying about their physical well-being, perceiving that the health care

professional or staff has a negative attitude, to professionals voluntarily ignoring one’s identity or using it to shame and misdiagnose them.

LGBTQ+ people want and deserve to feel safe and to be seen.

LGBTQ+ people have utilized strategies to protect themselves against discrimination such as hiding their identities or proactively planning for worst case scenarios. LGBTQ+ older adults seek

compassion, education, empathy, transparency and individualization.

Methodology

In June 2024, Firefish USA conducted a qualitative study focusing on LGBTQ+ community members living in the United States. The recruitment targeted LGBTQ+ residents age 45 or older to

participate in online focus groups to ensure a wide range of geographic representation.  Firefish USA aimed to recruit a diverse group of participants to capture inclusive voices from the

LGBTQ+ community, encompassing various gender identities, sexual orientations, health conditions, and racial and ethnic backgrounds.

A total of 10 LGBTQ+ community members participated in the 60-minute online focus groups. The discussions were guided by an interview guide developed by Firefish USA in collaboration with

AARP staff.

For more information, please contact Cassandra Cantave Burton at [email protected]. For media inquiries, contact External Relations at [email protected].

Suggested Citation:

Burton, Cassandra Cantave. A Deeper Dive into Dignity 2024: Qualitative Findings. Washington, DC: AARP Research, June 2025. https://doi.org/10.26419/res.00887.001

MORE FROM AARP

LGBTQ+ Dignity 2024

This study increases our understanding of the lived experience of LGBTQ+ adults age 45-plus in health care, caregiving, isolation, and relationships.

Social Interaction Drives Happiness as We Age

Social interaction with friends and family is the key driver impacting happiness among midlife and older adults, this AARP Research survey finds.

Adults 50-Plus Are Parenting Later and Longer

Older parents are happy they have the resources to support their adult children, but some worry about having enough left over for retirement.

Sex and Relationships: Older Adults Crave Intimacy

Americans continue to value intimacy with a partner later in life, but what that desire for intimacy looks like varies by age and gender.

The Pandemic's Impact on Friendships

Making new friends is more difficult now than pre-pandemic for many older adults and, for those with friendships, maintaining them is a challenge for some. 

{ "maxItems":5, "itemsPerRow":"3", "rows":"4", "loadMore":"6", "adsNum":"0", "resultsLength":"5" }