Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
J Aging Soc Policy. 2024 Sep 2;36(5):888-911. doi: 10.1080/08959420.2023.2226343. Epub 2023 Jun 22.
Age-friendly initiatives have grown in popularity in their efforts to promote active aging among older adults in Canada and other countries worldwide. However, these initiatives often overlook underrepresented populations, such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and two-spirit (LGBTQ2S+) older adults, who have unique social and historical contexts which impact their aging experiences. The study involved a survey and key-informant interviews with local leaders, volunteers, staff, and/or LGBTQ2S+ older adults involved in initiatives that were both age and LGBTQ2S+ friendly to explore what it means for a community to be age and LGBTQ2S+ friendly and learn what can further be done to promote these communities. Through a qualitative template analysis, our findings suggest that safety within the social environment should be at the forefront of age-friendly policy initiatives. Considerations and avenues to create this safety and an overall culture of acceptance for all older adults include recognizing generational differences among aging cohorts, increasing LGBTQ2S+ visibility and involvement and highlighting the importance of policy and cultural humility. These considerations and the voices of LGBTQ2S+ older adults need to be integrated into age-friendly community planning and policies to ensure they are inclusive and that all older adults feel safe and can thrive within their communities.
在加拿大和其他国家，关爱老年人的倡议越来越受欢迎，旨在促进老年人的积极老龄化。然而，这些倡议往往忽略了代表性不足的人群，如女同性恋、男同性恋、双性恋、跨性别、酷儿和双性人（LGBTQ2S+）老年人，他们有着独特的社会和历史背景，影响着他们的老龄化体验。该研究采用了问卷调查和关键知情者访谈的方法，调查了参与到关爱老年人和 LGBTQ2S+群体的倡议中的当地领导人、志愿者、工作人员和/或 LGBTQ2S+老年人，以探讨社区如何变得关爱老年人和 LGBTQ2S+群体，并了解可以进一步采取哪些措施来促进这些社区的发展。通过定性模板分析，我们的研究结果表明，社会环境中的安全应该是老年友好政策倡议的首要任务。为了创造这种安全和接受所有老年人的整体文化，可以考虑和开辟一些途径，包括认识到不同代际的老龄化群体之间的差异，增加 LGBTQ2S+的可见度和参与度，并强调政策和文化谦逊的重要性。这些考虑因素和 LGBTQ2S+老年人的声音需要融入到老年友好型社区规划和政策中，以确保它们具有包容性，让所有老年人在社区中感到安全，并能够茁壮成长。
