'Everyday Advocates’ for Inclusive Care? Perspectives on Enhancing the Provision of Long-Term Care Services for Older Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Adults in Wales

This paper centres on a neglected area of social work with older people—the social inclusion of older lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) adults in long-term care environments. The translation of equality law into the delivery of adult care services is a challenging endeavour for organisations, even more so in the morally-contested terrain of sexual wellbeing. In this paper we report findings from a mixed method study into the provision of long-term care for older adults who identify as LGB. Herein we present findings from a survey of care workers and managers (n=121) and from focus groups with equality and LGB stakeholder representatives (n=20) in Wales. Focussing on the current knowledge and understanding of staff, we suggest that affirmative beliefs and practices with sexual minorities are evident amongst care workers and managers, however the inclusion of LGB residents needs to be advanced systemically at structural, cultural and individual levels of provision. There is a need for enhancing awareness of the legacy of enduring discrimination for older LGB people, for cultural acceptance in care environments of older people’s sexual desires and relationships, and for a more explicit implementation of equality legislation. Social workers in adult care can advance this agenda.