Leslie A. Alvarado, LMSW, is a Senior Medical Social Worker & LGBTQ Program Lead, HCR Home Care, Rochester, New York. Caroline Dorsen, PhD, FNP-BC, is an Assistant Professor, Rory Meyers College of Nursing, New York University, New York, New York. Char Jere is a Student, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York. Louise Woerner, MBA, FAAN, is the CEO, HCR Home Care, HCR Cares, Rochester, New York. Emily Jones is the Director of New Imaging Materials Research, Eastman Kodak Co., Board Chair, HCR Cares (Retired), Rochester, New York. Sarah M. Miner, PhD, RN, is an Assistant Professor, Wegmans School of Nursing, St. John Fisher College, Rochester, New York.
Home Healthc Now. 2020 Jul/Aug;38(4):209-214. doi: 10.1097/NHH.0000000000000884.
When compared with their heterosexual cisgender (nontransgender) counterparts, LGBTQ+ older adults are more likely to delay or not seek medical care, often due to fear of real or perceived discrimination from healthcare providers. HCR Home care is a home healthcare agency in Upstate New York that has been delivering high-quality in-home healthcare services for over 40 years. We recognized that we had a unique opportunity to address the vulnerabilities of older adults in the LGBTQ+ community and to better meet their health needs as they age in place. We developed a five-step process to implement a program to better serve the home healthcare needs of the LGBTQ+ population in our community. The goal of this initiative is to provide ongoing community education on home healthcare, awareness of the social and health issues surrounding LGBTQ+ older adults, and ultimately to improve care and decrease health disparities. This article describes the five-step process, the challenges, successes, and implications for the future. Ensuring there are healthcare solutions available for vulnerable and marginalized individuals is key to changing the way home healthcare is structured and improving quality of life and health outcomes for all.
与异性恋顺性别（非跨性别）成年人相比，LGBTQ+ 老年人更有可能延迟或不寻求医疗护理，这通常是因为他们担心医疗保健提供者的实际或感知到的歧视。HCR 家庭护理是纽约州北部的一家家庭保健机构，已经提供高质量的家庭保健服务超过 40 年。我们认识到，我们有一个独特的机会来解决 LGBTQ+社区中老年人的脆弱性问题，并更好地满足他们随着年龄增长而在家中护理的健康需求。我们制定了一个五步流程来实施一项计划，以更好地满足我们社区中 LGBTQ+人群的家庭保健需求。该倡议的目标是提供关于家庭保健的持续社区教育，提高对 LGBTQ+老年人周围社会和健康问题的认识，并最终改善护理，减少健康差距。本文描述了五步流程、面临的挑战、取得的成功以及对未来的影响。确保为弱势和边缘化个人提供医疗保健解决方案是改变家庭保健结构、提高所有人生活质量和健康结果的关键。
