Sexual minority status and aging

Abstract

There are estimated to be between 1.4 and 3.8 million LGBT Americans over the age of 65. This population is expected to increase between 3.6 and 7.2 million due to the Baby Boom generation. The older adult population is the most rapidly growing age group in the United States and experiences normal age-related changes in cognition as well as in internal and external physical health. Although differences exist within and among groups, more minority elders live in more poverty and with lower incomes than their white counterparts. Emerging scholarship reveals that social isolation and discrimination experienced by many LGBT elders hinder them from aging well. Increasing diversity of the LGBT elder population has important implications for bolstering individual autonomy in the care environments.