Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) older adults have lived through a lifetime of discrimination, social stigma, prejudice, and marginalization. Is the care that we are giving them in later life changing any of that or are we pushing them back into the closet?

This is what we talk about in this week's podcast with Carey Candrian from the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and Angela Primbas from Stanford University (and future geriatrics fellow at UCSF!).

Carey has published a wonderful article in the Gerontologist titled “She’s Dying and I Can’t Say We’re Married?”: End-of-Life Care for LGBT Older Adults, in which she describes how older LGBT adults may be at higher risk for having their health care wishes ignored or disregarded, their families of choice are less likely to be included in their decision making, and they may experience increased isolation, bullying, mistreatment, or abuse, which ultimately contribute to receipt of poor-quality health care.

We talk about the scripts that we use in medicine that may hamper open discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) including the term “family meeting”, the need to revise our intake forms to incorporate SOGI questions, and the need for education. We also get a chance to hear Alex Sing “The Story” whose lyrics very much speak to the subject at hand:

“All of these lines across my face
Tell you the story of who I am
So many stories of where I've been
And how I got to where I am
But these stories don't mean anything
When you've got no one to tell them to…”

If you want to learn more, please check out these wonderful resources:

LGBT Resource Center https://www.lgbtagingcenter.org
LGBTQ Resource List from GLAAD: https://www.glaad.org/resourcelist
National Resource Center on LGBT Aging: https://www.lgbtagingcenter.org/
Services and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Elders (SAGE): https://www.sageusa.org/

LGBT Care for Older Adults and Serious Illness: Podcast with Carey Candrian and Angela Primbas

GeriPal - A Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine Podcast