Designing a Program to Serve Older Adult LGBTQ+ Populations in Home Healthcare.

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.