New Collaboration Helps LGBTQ+ Seniors Age Proudly

Research uncovers health disparities, barriers to care for LGBTQ+ older adults

A 2016 study by the UCLA Williams Institute and Services and Advocacy for GLBTQ+ Elders (SAGE) acknowledged there were more than 2.4 million LGBTQ+ adults over 50 in the United States, and anywhere from 1.75 million to 4 million above 60, and that LGBTQ+ older adults face unique challenges to aging that are not experienced by their heterosexual, cisgender peers.¹

The research exposed several social and health disparities:

• LGBTQ+ older adults experience higher rates of chronic health conditions, disability and mental health challenges compared to their non-LGBTQ+ peers. This may be driven by a mixture of lifelong stigma and unequal access to healthcare.
• LGBTQ+ older adults have experienced and continue to experience high rates of lifetime discrimination and physical or verbal abuse tied to their sexual orientation and gender identity.
• Many LGBTQ+ older adults have experienced bias in medical settings, leading them to delay or avoid medical care, or to conceal their sexual and gender identity from health providers for fear of discrimination. This typically leads to deferred medical care, diminished use of preventive services, and a level of mistrust that forms a barrier to the affirming, high-quality care these individuals deserve.
• Social isolation compounds health disparities. LGBTQ+ older adults are more likely to live alone and less likely to have traditional caregiving support systems, compared with their heterosexual cisgender counterparts who are likely to have children to take on traditional caregiving roles. AARP’s 2024 Dignity study of LGBTQ+ adults age 45 and older² found that 48 percent often or sometimes felt isolated from others, while 45 percent experienced a lack of companionship.
• While some members of this group may rely on “families of choice” composed of close friends, or affiliate themselves with affirmative religious groups or community organizations, many find themselves isolated.
• LGBTQ+ seniors are likely to experience financial instability and legal issues. This is the result of disparities in employment, earnings, and opportunities to build savings, coupled with discrimination in the social and legal programs that have traditionally supported aging adults.

Data compiled by the non-profit senior advocacy group Justice in Aging align with the Williams Institute/SAGE findings and point to significant challenges to LGBTQ+ older adults, including the rise of targeted threats against the LGBTQ+ community and the weaponization of policies to erase LGBTQ+ people, along with cuts to safety-net programs like Medicaid.³ The group also acknowledges a form of discrimination in several areas, such as housing, healthcare, employment and education, that constitutes a lifelong economic inequality.

Addressing the age gap in HIV prevention and education efforts

According to the latest data⁴ from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), of the more than 1.1 million people living with diagnosed HIV in the United States in 2023, approximately 54 percent (597,296) were aged 50 and over. Older adults living with HIV are highly likely to have comorbidities, the other health conditions that are commonly associated with aging. This magnifies the need for high-quality information and services fashioned for this aging population.

But the reality is that HIV prevention and education campaigns don’t typically speak to this vulnerable group. Instead, they tend to focus on younger people. It is unclear whether this disconnect is fueled by a common belief that older people aren’t sexually active, or that the lived experiences of this older group, many are likely to have survived the AIDS epidemic of the early-to-mid 1980s, have informed them well enough to be rendered immune to new information about HIV.

“Few people are talking about this,” says Declan Sheehy, chief advancement officer at Senior Friendship Centers. “In our programming, we talk about wellness, healthy living and healthy aging all the time, so who better to fill this gap? This is right slap bang in our wheelhouse. We know that seniors are sexually active, and we know that there are all sorts of increased risks out there. So, we looked at the research and with this collaboration we thought, ‘let's put our heads together and see what we can do to help.’”

Aging proudly in a complex world

Formally announced at Project Pride SRQ’s Silver Pride event in June, the program conceived by Senior Friendship Centers and its partners is called Aging Proudly: A Wellness & Resource Series for Older Adults. The backbone of the program is a robust calendar of monthly education sessions running from this September through March. Addressing topics such as healthy aging and relationships, health advocacy, sexual health and intimacy, modern treatment after an HIV diagnosis and more, the group plans to hold all presentations in the library at Senior Friendship Centers’ Sarasota campus. Other program elements include community outreach and engagement, and referrals to local affirming healthcare providers.

A preliminary list of topics for Aging Proudly’s monthly educational sessions includes:

• Aging Proudly: Health and Wellness in Our Community: The series kick-off session covers healthcare vs. wellness care, aging with intention, and supportive resources for LBGTQ+ seniors.
• Prevention, Sexual Wellness, and Healthy Relationships: A practical discussion about maintaining sexual health, intimacy, and healthy relationships along the aging journey.
• Understanding HIV Diagnosis, Care, and Treatment: Accurate and up-to-date information surrounding HIV diagnosis, including what happens after a diagnosis, and how modern HIV treatment can support a long and healthy life.
• Living Well as We Age with Intention: A whole-person approach to maintaining health, wellness, independence, and abundant quality of life at any age.
• Senior Behavioral Health and Resiliency: A supportive discussion about mental health, community connection, and the challenges we’re likely to face as we age.
• Advocating for Yourself in the Healthcare System: Tools to help LGBTQ+ seniors communicate confidently, understand their options, and receive respectful, affirming healthcare.
• Navigating your Lifelong Wellness and Community Resources: A practical session focused on connecting people with the resources, programs, and people who can help.

Following the six-month pilot, programming will be refined based on participant feedback.

Recognizing the program’s potential to fill a persistent information gap, Susan Terry Foundation executive director Ray Carson said, “Senior Friendship Centers, Project Pride and their partners have put together a programming framework that will speak directly to the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ seniors. It’s long overdue. This is an important step forward. This misunderstood and marginalized community deserves to be respected and connected with affirming care and the kind of wellness resources that support long and healthy lives.”

Proud partners take a whole-person approach

The Aging Proudly project is a truly collaborative effort in the spirit of Senior Friendship Centers’ mission to serve all seniors and is part of the nonprofit’s continuing effort designed to reach LGBTQ+ older adults. A glimpse at each of the project’s partners reveals its whole-person and community-centered approach.

Senior Friendship Centers

Aging Proudly’s presenting organization serves thousands of older adults throughout Sarasota, Charlotte, DeSoto and Lee Counties. Founded in 1973, Senior Friendship Centers provides wellness, connection and enrichment programs that reduce isolation and build community through their senior activity centers, adult day services and caregiver resource centers. The Friendship at Home program provides meals, friendly check-ins and crisis intervention for home-bound seniors.

In laying the groundwork for the Aging Proudly program, Sheehy worked alongside Senior Friendship Centers business development manager Georgann Nugent to collaborate with three other entities providing crucial health, wellness and advocacy/community building services in the Greater Sarasota area: Project Pride SRQ, HomeWell Care Services, and CAN Community Health.

Project Pride SRQ

Dedicated to reaching people of all ages, Project Pride SRQ is a Sarasota-bred LGBTQ+ advocacy group with a mission to expand understanding and awareness, and scores of passionate volunteers who bring that mission to life.

More than a third of Sarasota County’s population is 65 or older.⁵ Realizing that many LGBTQ+ seniors may fear “double discrimination,” for being both LGBTQ+ and older, the group launched its Senior Outreach program to meet the growing need for services tailored to this community.

Project Pride SRQ’s annual Silver Pride event combines joyful celebration with meaningful access to community resources. This year’s celebration, held on June 6 under the theme Honoring Our Past, Celebrating Our Future, featured more than 55 vendors and community organizations. A lively panel discussion, Aging Out Loud: LGBTQ+ Life, Legacy, and Belonging Across Generations, addressed identity, chosen family, caregiving, visibility, affirming care, and the importance of safe and welcoming spaces.

HomeWell Care Services

With offices in Bradenton and Sarasota, this locally operated provider offers a broad array of companion, personal and specialty care services. In curating personalized and specialized care plans for older adults, HomeWell Care Services takes a holistic approach that considers the emotional and social needs of aging in place while anticipating the future challenges of aging. Their goals are to relieve the burden of solitude, enhance safety, and help older adults navigate the complexities of life at home. Potential benefits of this approach include reduced reliance on emergency care, increased longevity, reduced hospital admissions and readmissions, and relief for family caregivers.

As Aging Proudly’s non-medical care partner, HomeWell brings a genuine cultural competence to the collaboration. In fact, they’ve made cultural competency training part of their onboarding process for new hires.

CAN Community Health

From humble beginnings in 1991 as the Comprehensive Care Center on Sarasota’s East Avenue, CAN Community Health has emerged as the nation’s premier provider of comprehensive health services for individuals affected by HIV, Hepatitis C, and other sexually transmitted infections through outreach, integrated clinical practice, advocacy, education, and research. Now headquartered in Tampa, CAN operates clinics throughout Florida, and in Arizona, Nevada, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia.

As Aging Proudly’s medical provider partner, CAN and its representatives are uniquely qualified to provide medically accurate and science-based information to help the community understand HIV prevention, testing and diagnoses, care, and treatment.

Potential benefits outweigh remaining challenges

When we spoke with Declan Sheehy about a month before the Aging Proudly launch, his enthusiasm for the project and pride in the collaborative’s aging-with-dignity curriculum were palpable. “With the four entities of the project we can really cover a broad swath of the audience we would like to reach,” said Sheehy. “Our motto at Senior Friendship Centers is ‘we welcome all seniors.’ So, ‘all’ means ‘all.’ There are still challenges to discussing HIV and sexually transmitted infections. There is still stigma around it. Less so than there was, but it still exists. But we've found that with seniors and wellness, the more we talk about it, and the more open we are about it, the better the results are for everybody.”