Reluctant educators and self-advocates: Older trans adults' experiences of health-care services and practitioners in seeking gender-affirming services

Background

Trans‐identifying individuals experience unique barriers and challenges in negotiating health‐care systems due to the cisnormative attitudes and practices which obstruct the receipt of trans‐inclusive care. To date, there has been little exploration of older trans consumers’ experiences of contemporary health‐care services when seeking to transition medically in later life.

Objectives

Qualitative findings are presented from a study of trans ageing and trans‐related health and social care needs in Wales, UK (2016‐18). The objectives are to (1) examine supportive and obstructive points of interaction with health‐care professionals, and (2) identify key learning messages for improving trans‐related health care from the perspectives of trans‐identifying adults in later life.

Design

Trans‐identifying participants self‐selected to take part in two interviews—a life‐history interview and a semi‐structured interview. Interview data were analysed thematically using the framework method approach.

Setting and participants

This paper focuses on the accounts of 19 participants (50‐74 years of age) who identified as trans and were seeking to transition medically in mid‐ to later life.

Results

Findings indicate how older trans patients are positioned as reluctant educators for GPs in primary care settings and illustrate the transphobic practices and cisnormative assumptions encountered across health‐care interactions and systems that impede their journey of transitioning in later life.

Discussion and conclusions

Messages from this study speak to the importance of improving professionals’ knowledge of gender identity diversity across the life course and making changes at a systemic level in redressing cisnormative assumptions and systems that reinforce inequities on the basis of gender identity.

"It's a nice country but it's not mine": Exploring the meanings attached to home, rurality and place for older lesbian, gay and bisexual adults

An ageing population across European nations, including the United Kingdom, brings with it new challenges for health and social care services and precipitates social policy initiatives targeted at meeting the care and support needs of a rapidly expanding number of older people. Ageing in place is one such policy driver-policy efforts that seek to promote the maintenance of older citizens residing in their own homes for as long as possible with minimal state intervention. Current generations of older lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people have endured homophobia throughout their life histories, and sexual identity can shape perceptions and experiences of ageing, including experiences of home life, community and place. Our objective is to examine the meanings attached to home and place for older LGB adults living independently across three dimensions: rural places as "home," connections to LGB communities, and social care provision in the home. We present interview findings from a mixed-methods study on the social inclusion of older LGB adults in Wales. Twenty-nine LGB-identifying adults (50-76 years) self-selected to participate in semistructured interviews between 2012 and 2013. Thematic findings from interviews indicate varying and contradictory meanings attached to home life in rural places, the importance of connection to communities of identity across geographical and online localities, and a high degree of ambivalence towards the prospect of receiving social care services in the home. We argue that a more nuanced understanding of the subjective meanings attached to home, rurality and community for older LGB people is needed to fully support LGB citizens to continue to live independently in their homes.