Experiences of informal caregiving among older lesbian and gay adults in Australia.

Objective: This study examined older lesbian and gay adults' experiences regarding informal caregiving, including challenges and positive aspects of caregiving.

Methods: Interviews were conducted with 16 lesbian women and gay men in Australia, aged 60+, who were engaged in informal caregiving. Analyses involved a qualitative thematic approach.

Predictors of Loneliness Among Older Lesbian and Gay People.

This study sought to understand the social and individual factors that predict loneliness among older lesbian and gay people in Australia. A sample of 508 gay men and 241 lesbian women, aged 60 and over, completed a survey including measures of loneliness, internalized homonegativity, sexual orientation discrimination, and connectedness to lesbian and gay communities. A multivariable linear regression predicting loneliness was conducted.

Assessing the combined effect of ageism and sexuality-related stigma on the mental health and well-being of older lesbian and gay adults.

Objective: Relatively little research has examined ageism among older lesbian and gay adults. In this study, we investigated how ageism, as well as sexuality-related stigma, relate to mental health and well-being in these groups.

Method: Six hundred and thirteen lesbian women and gay men aged 60+ in Australia completed a nationwide survey.

Factors Associated with Self-Reported PTSD Diagnosis among Older Lesbian Women and Gay Men.

Lesbian women and gay men are at greater risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than heterosexual people, however few studies have examined PTSD in older lesbian women and gay men. This study examined predictors of having ever been diagnosed with PTSD, as well as relationships to current quality of life, among 756 lesbian women and gay men aged 60 years and older in Australia. Participants were surveyed on their sociodemographic characteristics, experiences of sexual orientation discrimination over their lifetime, whether they had ever been diagnosed with PTSD, whether they were currently receiving treatment for PTSD, and their current quality of life.

Volunteering among Older Lesbian and Gay Adults: Associations with Mental, Physical and Social Well-Being.

Volunteering is associated with positive well-being among older people, providing opportunities to stay active and socially connected. This may be especially relevant for older lesbian and gay people, who are less likely than heterosexual people to have a partner, children or support from their family of origin. Patterns of volunteering and mental, physical and social well-being were examined in a sample of 754 lesbian and gay adults in Australia aged 60 years and older who completed a nationwide survey.

Older lesbian and gay adults' perceptions of barriers and facilitators to accessing health and aged care services in Australia.

Older lesbian and gay people can face considerable marginalisation, which may affect their perceptions and experiences of accessing health and aged care services. To inform strategies promoting accessibility, this study aimed to investigate perceived barriers and facilitators to health and aged care service access among older lesbian and gay adults. A sample of 752 cisgender lesbian women and gay men aged 60 years and older living in Australia responded to questions on a broad range of potential barriers and facilitators to service access.

Comfort Among Older Lesbian and Gay People in Disclosing Their Sexual Orientation to Health and Aged Care Services.

Being comfortable in disclosing one's sexual orientation to health and aged care providers is important for older lesbian and gay adults, given that nondisclosure is associated with poorer health and well-being outcomes. In a sample of 752 lesbian and gay adults aged 60 years and older living in Australia, we found only 51% of lesbian women and 64% of gay men felt fully comfortable to disclose their sexual orientation to health and aged care service providers. For both the women and the men, those who felt fully comfortable to disclose reported significantly less internalized homophobia; had fewer experiences of discrimination in the past year; and reported greater lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) community connectedness.

Mental health and identity adjustment in older lesbian and gay adults: Assessing the role of whether their parents knew about their sexual orientation.

Objective: Research suggests that lesbian and gay people's disclosure of their sexual orientation to parents is associated with better mental health and identity adjustment. However, adolescents and younger adults have been the main focus with little known about the experiences of older people. The following study focused on older lesbian and gay adults, and examined whether believing that their parents knew about their sexual orientation is linked to better current mental health and identity adjustment.

Older lesbian and gay men's perceptions on lesbian and gay youth in Australia.

Older lesbian and gay people are increasingly open about their sexuality but have also experienced a lifetime of discrimination. These groups have experienced a long history of changes to lesbian and gay rights, and many were also at the forefront of activist movements during the latter half of the 20th century. A deeper knowledge is needed of the life experiences of these groups, including how they view their lives in relation to younger lesbian and gay people.

Health, well-being, and social support in older Australian lesbian and gay care-givers.

Informal care-givers play an important role in society, and many of the people who provide this care are lesbian women and gay men. Being a care-giver is known to be associated with poorer health and well-being, and lesbian and gay care-givers report experiences of stigma and discrimination in the care-giving context. This study involved a survey of 230 lesbian women and 503 gay men aged 60 years and over living in Australia, of which 218 were care-givers.

Experiences and perceptions of residential and home care services among older lesbian women and gay men in Australia.

The needs of older lesbian and gay people regarding access and use of aged-care services remain underresearched. This paper reports the findings of 33 qualitative interviews with older lesbian women and gay men about their perceptions and experiences of residential aged-care and home-based aged-care services in Australia. The focus of this paper is their preparedness for using aged-care services.