LGBTQ AGING: THEORETICAL APPROACHES, SOCIAL NETWORKS, AND END OF LIFE ISSUES

• Published in: Innovation in aging Vol. 2; no. suppl_1; p. 64
• Main Authors: Muraco, A, Valenti, K
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: US Oxford University Press 11.11.2018
• Subjects: Abstracts
• ISSN: 2399-5300; 2399-5300
• DOI: 10.1093/geroni/igy023.241

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) older adults have diverse experiences and needs in relation to social networks, support systems, and health processes. The papers in this symposium bring together examinations of theoretical approaches with empirical analyses of social support, group involvement, intimacy, and end of life planning for LGBTQ older adults in order to expand knowledge in this rapidly growing field. The presentations use systematic review findings and interviews to illustrate the heterogeneous experiences among LGBTQ older adults and the importance of continued research on their lives. In this symposium, we investigate the role of theory in contemporary LGBTQ aging research; issues related to planning, preparation, and expectations at end of life; and perceptions of social support and isolation. Fabbre and colleagues provide foundation for the symposium as they examine the role of theory in studies that have built knowledge in the field of LGBTQ aging. Valenti and colleagues focus their review on the past 30 years of research about LGBTQ older adult women and end of life concerns. Muraco and colleagues use interview data to address issues of later life planning, which includes drawing power of attorney documents and wills as a means to assert agency in the contexts of their social networks or social isolation. Tester and colleagues examine participant perspectives of group involvement in relation to social support and intimacy. The presentations in this symposium illustrate how theory, individual perceptions and needs, and social support issues meet to inform future aging research, theory, and interventions.