ABSTRACT

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.

摘要

在加拿大和世界其他国家，老年人友好型倡议在促进老年人积极老龄化的努力中越来越受欢迎。然而，这些举措往往忽视了代表性不足的人群，例如女同性恋、男同性恋、双性恋、跨性别者、酷儿和双性恋（LGBTQ2S+）老年人，他们拥有影响其老龄化经历的独特社会和历史背景。该研究涉及对参与年龄和 LGBTQ2S+ 友好举措的当地领导人、志愿者、工作人员和/或 LGBTQ2S+ 老年人进行调查和关键信息访谈，以探讨年龄和 LGBTQ2S+ 友好和学习对社区意味着什么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，社会环境内的安全应处于老年友好政策举措的首要位置。为所有老年人创造这种安全和整体接受文化的考虑因素和途径包括认识到老龄群体之间的代际差异、提高 LGBTQ2S+ 的知名度和参与度以及强调政策和文化谦逊的重要性。这些考虑因素和 LGBTQ2S+ 老年人的声音需要纳入老年友好型社区规划和政策中，以确保其包容性，并确保所有老年人都感到安全并能够在社区中茁壮成长。提高 LGBTQ2S+ 的知名度和参与度，并强调政策和文化谦逊的重要性。这些考虑因素和 LGBTQ2S+ 老年人的声音需要纳入老年友好型社区规划和政策中，以确保其包容性，并确保所有老年人都感到安全并能够在社区中茁壮成长。提高 LGBTQ2S+ 的知名度和参与度，并强调政策和文化谦逊的重要性。这些考虑因素和 LGBTQ2S+ 老年人的声音需要纳入老年友好型社区规划和政策中，以确保其包容性，并确保所有老年人都感到安全并能够在社区中茁壮成长。