Care, dignity, and respect. They're the very basics that every older person deserves, yet for many older Australians, particularly those within LGBTI+ community, this is a reality still beyond reach.
Now, new research from the University of South Australia is shining a light on the lived experiences of LGBTI+ older adults navigating aged care in a push to create a more inclusive and supportive environment in which LGBTI+ individuals can age well.
Experienced occupational therapist, current UniSA PhD student, and this year's Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) winner, Sarah McMullen-Roach, is spearheading the work, collating the global perceptions and views of more than 3500 LGBTI+ older adults to understand how this population views aged care.
"We have found that many LGBTI+ older adults experience a pervasive fear when considering aged care," McMullen-Roach says.
"It's such a powerful and consuming fear that, for many older LGBTI+ adults, the preferable alternative is often seen as suicide or voluntary assisted dying.
"While this population is incredibly resilient, for more than half their lives, it's been illegal to simply be who they are. They've have had their identities criminalised, at times pathologized, and have lacked protection under the law.
"Now as they age, they are often forced with the stark reality that the majority of aged care is run by the same institutions that led the discrimination against them."
The recent Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety outlined countless stories of neglect and abuse against the older LGBTI+ population, with neglect, abuse, indifference and poor-quality care identified across all aspects of aged care. Yet of the 148 recommendations that came out of the Royal Commission, not one addressed the needs of LGBTI+ older adults.
With a lack of information about the LGBTI+ population's needs the claimed cause of the omission; research is clearly needed.
McMullen-Roach is now connecting with LGBTI+ older adults who are using aged care services to understand what is working, what is not, and what must change. She says that despite growing research in this area, that the voices of LGBTI+ older adults using care service largely remain unheard.
"This population fought for their identity and the rights that my generation now has, it is not acceptable that they are relegated to invisibility in their old age. My ambition with this work is that LGBTI+ people are not forced to age fearfully but supported to age fabulously."
Notes to editors:
- The 3MT® is an international competition celebrating research undertaken by PhD candidates. Competitors must present their research using non-technical language, with just one slide, in just three minutes.
- The 2024 UniSA 3MT Grand Final, was presented by The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre and Office of the Dean of Graduate Studies, supported by UniSA Academic Units, on Tuesday 17 September 2024, a recording will be available soon.
- Sarah McMullen Roach won first place in the 2024 UniSA Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition and will now represent the University in the Asia Pacific Final.
- Second place was awarded to Aayushi Notra for her presentation 'From Data to Discovery: New Steps in the Fight Against Neuroblastoma'. A self-described data detective, Aayushi Notra, says that every child deserves a chance to experience their early memories without the shadow of cancer. Her research is assessing how transcription factors block differentiation, leading to neuroblastoma.
- The People's Choice award was presented to Edmund Hypolite for his presentation 'The Role of Teachers in Creating Racially Inclusive Secondary Schools'. His research explores teacher reluctance to address systemic racism and Black trauma, driven by the desire to avoid white discomfort.
