"None of us can go it alone": The Informal Caring Experiences of LGBT Older Adults

Abstract

This paper examines the caring experiences of 7 LGBT older adults in Southwestern Ontario. Up to 2 90-minute interviews were conducted with 7 participants which were then transcribed and analyzed using interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA). Participants described life histories of discrimination and isolation, as well as contemporary experiences of medical discrimination. As a result, participants were highly skeptical of the formal care system, with only one indicating they would be willing to enter long term care. Analysis was conducted according to four themes that were identified while engaging in the interpretive phenomenological process. The research was influenced by life course theory and cultural scripts: specifically, that the current cohort of LGBT+ older adults is perhaps the first to age openly in their identity and as a result lack cultural scripts as to what they should do as they age. Questions were open-ended and asked participants about their experiences giving or receiving care, life histories of discrimination, and how their care experiences influence their plans for the future. Although no questions were directly asked about the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the legacy of the HIV/AIDS epidemic on contemporary LGBT older adults became a major theme of this paper. Other themes identified include the role that stigma and concerns about autonomy play in their plans for the future, the importance of political advocacy and community caregiving for LGBT older adults, and how LGBT older adults have developed resiliency and the practice of holding loved ones in personhood in order to cope with medical issues and death.