Ageing Diversity: LGBT* People, Housing and Long-Term Care

This presentation discuss findings of the AGEDLGBT* project, which is funded by the European Commission. AGEDLGBT* is the first European study of its kind to compare and synthesize data from three research projects conducted in Germany and UK regarding older lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans* (LGBT*) people, housing and care, later in life. This presentation focuses on two main questions from the project that have been examined so far. Firstly, what similarities and differences exist between older LGBT* people, in terms of gender, sexuality and other identifiable sources of social division, such as social class, ethnicity and age, in the data of the three projects involved? Secondly, in what ways, if at all, do older LGBT* people’s life course experiences, such as their experiences of discrimination, prejudice and/or resilience appear in their choices and expectations regarding housing and long-term care facilities later in life?

The specific projects used to answer these questions are: GLESA, which examined the challenges and risks of LGBT* housing projects, based on interviews with experts and older LGBT* tenants in Berlin, Germany; GLEPA, which investigated the needs of older LGBT* people in long-term care facilities, using narrative interviews with older LGBT* people in need of care and interviews and focus groups with experts in the field; and SAFE, which used a mixed methods design of focus groups and a survey to produce the largest study of older LGBT* housing experiences, preferences and concerns in the UK.

The presentation ends by explaining how these current findings will be used to undertake the next stage of the AGEDLGBT* project: an agent-based, social simulation model of older LGBT* housing and care to contribute to future research and policy debates.