Don’t Look Back: Improving Don’t Look Back: Improving social care service delivery for social care service delivery for older lesbian, gay and bisexual older lesbian, gay and bisexual service usersservice users

Elizabeth Price

What do we know?What do we know?Very little!Policy, research, guidance, practice - the heterosexual imperative

The ageing experience – mediated through disadvantage and discrimination

Why is the LGB perspective an issue?

The Legislative The Legislative FrameworkFrameworkProviding protection and strengthening equality:◦The Mental Capacity Act (2005)◦The Equality Act (2006),The Equality Act (2010)

◦The Civil Partnership Act (2004)◦The Equality Act (Sexual Orientations Regulations)(2007)

Service reformService reformThe Personalisation Agenda‘Sexuality sensitive’ careRecent developments:

◦National Carers Strategy ◦The End of Life Care Strategy ◦The National Dementia Strategy

◦The Dignity Agenda

Key ThemesKey Themes

Accessing services – Discrimination and negative experiences

I came out in the 50s – and that was shit – now I am dependent on carers and I am frightened… I am very frightened of them… what if they find out that I am a lesbian… what are they going to do to me… I have ‘de-gayed’ my house… this is much worse than the 50s. I want to be able to be gay in my last days – I don’t want to have to hide again and I particularly don’t want to have to hide because the home help is coming round…

(Older lesbian interviewee quoted in Pugh, 2010)

Key ThemesKey Themes

Accessing services – Discrimination and negative experiences

Service delivery – Invisibility and assumed heterosexuality

My (former) GP prescribed HRT andsaid that “it should make my husbandhappy”. I was stunned by the sexist

andheterosexist assumptions wrapped up

inthis comment.Older lesbian respondent quoted in

River(forthcoming)

Key ThemesKey Themes

Accessing services – Discrimination and negative experiences

Service delivery – Invisibility and assumed heterosexuality

LGB specific health and social care issues

Positive practice

Conclusions