Reforms are urgently needed to ensure older LGBTQ+ people are safe and respected in Ireland’s care system, a major conference in Dublin heard on Wednesday, October 1.

Marking International Older Persons Day, the Championing Inclusive Care: LGBTQI+ Inclusion in Older Persons’ Services conference was organised by LGBT Ireland. It explored how care services can improve their support of LGBTQ+ people by diving into their life experiences and international perspectives.

The conference brought together national and international experts, frontline practitioners, regulators, and individuals with lived experience. Together, they addressed systemic failures of Ireland’s care system and offered practical solutions to provide better support to older LGBTQ+ people.

With an estimated 80,600 LGBTQ+ people over the age of 65 in Ireland by 2030, this is a growing group whose needs must be met. Research has shown that older LGBTQ+ people are more likely than their heterosexual counterparts to:

• Experience chronic health issues such as cancer, stroke, weakened immune systems, and heart attacks
• Face higher rates of anxiety, depression, and substance misuse
• Live alone and lack informal supports like partners or children, increasing the risk of social isolation and loneliness, which are linked to poor health outcomes

These factors lead older LGBTQ+ people to be more likely to need external support. In addition, several of these people feel unsafe in healthcare settings and like they need to hide their identities and “go back into the closet” for fear of stigma, discrimination, and abuse.

Among the speakers was Dr Brian Keogh from Trinity College Dublin, who was a researcher on the ‘Being LGBTQI+ in Ireland: Older Persons Sub-report’; Dr Jolie Keemink, who was principal investigator of CIRCLE (Creating Inclusive Residential Care for LGBTQ+ Elders); and Eileen Chubb, Founder of Compassion in Care.

The conference also featured a panel chaired by LGBTQ+ activist and academic Ailbhe Smyth, who led a discussion among experts from HIQA, Nursing Homes Ireland, Dublin City University, and Compassion in Care.

The speakers collectively called for urgent reforms to Ireland’s care system to ensure older LGBTQ+ people’s needs are met. Such practical changes include:

• Education Reform: LGBTQ+ inclusion must be embedded across all health, nursing, and social care curricula, starting at undergraduate level. Without mandatory, early training, professionals enter the workforce unprepared to meet the needs of older LGBTQ+ people.
• National Policy on Residential Care: Ireland must urgently develop a national nursing home and long-term care policy that explicitly includes LGBTQ+ people and addresses the invisibility, fear, and isolation many experience in these settings.
• Updated Research: New, comprehensive data is needed on the experiences and needs of older LGBTQ+ persons to inform policy and service design.

“LGBTQI+ people deserve to grow older with dignity, safety, and pride. But too often, older LGBTQI+ people are invisible in our healthcare systems, and that invisibility is leading to worse health outcomes,” said Anne Byrne, CEO of LGBT Ireland.

“Across the country, we’re seeing great work from healthcare staff who are committed to inclusion, supported by programmes like our LGBT Champions Programme. Through our Champions programme, we’ve trained over 500 healthcare professionals who are transforming services across the country.

“But real inclusion can’t rely on individual effort alone. We need system and policy change. That starts with inclusive education, updated research, and a national nursing home care policy that recognises and protects LGBTQI+ people.

“No older LGBTQI+ person should feel forced to choose between being themselves and accessing the healthcare they need. We can change that.”

Did you know we have a team of wonderful runners taking part in this year’s Dublin Marathon and raising funds for GCN? You can support our athletes at this link.