What Diversity and Inclusion Looks Like in Senior Living Today
As the Baby Boomer and Gen X populations age into senior living communities, the number of residents who openly identify as LGBTQ+ is growing substantially. There are an estimated 2.6 million LGBTQ+ adults aged 50 and older in the U.S. today, and that number is projected to exceed 7 million by 2030. For many of these individuals, the search for senior care comes with real, well-documented anxiety.
A national AARP study found that 85% of older LGBTQ+ adults are concerned about facing discrimination based on their sexual orientation as they age, and 73% say they don’t have access to LGBTQ+-specific services for older adults at all. Perhaps most telling: more than half of LGBTQ+ older adults worry they’ll need to hide their identity again, effectively “going back in the closet,” just to access long-term care. For residents who spent decades living openly, that’s a significant and avoidable loss.
The good news: 88% of LGBTQ+ older adults say they’d feel more comfortable with long-term care services if they knew staff had received training specifically on LGBTQ+ inclusion. That single data point says a lot. The fix isn’t abstract, and it isn’t expensive. It’s training, consistently applied.
Here are three concrete areas where senior living communities can make real progress.
Communication materials
For many prospective residents, a facility’s website or printed materials are the first signal of whether they’ll be welcome. Inclusive language, making clear that residents of every background and orientation will find a home, is the starting point, but it only works if it’s backed up. Be ready with real answers for prospective residents who ask what policies or protocols are actually in place, not just a general statement of values.
Trained staff
Letting prospective residents know your community is welcoming is only half the work. Staff need to actually deliver on it. Every team member who interacts with residents or their families, from direct care staff to the person answering the phone, benefits from real training in LGBTQ+-sensitive care. Given the documented history of discrimination many LGBTQ+ older adults have faced in other healthcare settings, trust has to be earned, and that starts with staff who approach medication administration and daily care with genuine cultural competency, not just technical compliance.
Inclusive activities
Moving from independent living into a care community is a significant transition under the best circumstances, and it can be especially difficult for an LGBTQ+ older adult who’s spent years living openly and now fears needing to conceal that again. Inclusive programming, whether that’s recognizing LGBTQ+ history and culture or simply creating spaces where residents can connect with others who share their experience, helps make that transition feel less like a retreat.
Building genuine inclusion takes sustained effort, not a one-time policy update. Organizations like SAGE and HRC offer real benchmarks and training resources for communities ready to do this work seriously.
Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash