New research https://www.bristol.ac.uk/policybristol/policy-briefings/inclusive-care-homes/ from the University of Bristol on developing inclusive care homes for older people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT).
The research found that care home staff and managers often lack knowledge about the delivery of personalised care to older LGBT residents. Moreover, older LGBT people’s experiences indicate that they are an invisible and marginalised population in later life and their life stories and relationships are frequently overlooked by care providers and staff and managers employed in care homes.
Policy recommendations include:
- Providers should provide staff training on social inclusion and training methods should include co-produced sessions with the LGBT community.
- LGBT equality needs to be made visible in care home marketing literature and information and displays for staff, residents and visitors.
- Care home staff need to recognise how the life experiences, needs and interests of bisexual and transgender residents can differ from lesbian and gay residents.
A team led by Dr Paul Willis from the University of Bristol conducted the research.
They worked with a large care home provider and six care homes in England. In carrying out an audit of LGBT inclusion in care homes, they followed a co-productive approach by recruiting eight volunteer LGBT Community Advisors (CAs) to work with them.
For more information on the study and its implications contct policy-bris@bristol.ac.uk