Nursing Home Disparities

This paper will focus nursing home health care disparities among the LGBT elderly. Throughout the paper, there will be research to identify the problem and support the factors that contribute to the identified problem. This paper looks at the issue of nursing home disparities among the LGBT community at a micro, mezzo, and macro level by identifying how the problem is engulfed in all levels of practice and how the problem can be solved by addressing all levels of practice. The solutions to the health care disparity will be supported by two different human behavior theories.

The LGBT elderly population consist of individuals that come from different races and ethnicities, religions, and social classes. Research proposes that LGBT elderly face
Reportedly, it is caused by a lifetime of employment discrimination (SAGEUSA, 2013). In addition to the economic disparity, LGBT elderly deal with significant health disparities across areas related to physical and mental health (SAGEUSA, 2013). Another factor with the LGBT elderly is feelings of social isolation, due to having to cope with stigma and discrimination in their daily lives and in our country's aging system. SAGEUSA reports that the LGBT elderly are twice as likely to live alone, twice as likely to be single, and 3-4 times less likely to have children (SAGEUSA, 2013). Many elderly within this community are estranged from their biological families (SAGEUSA, 2013). Additional risk factors for social isolation include mobility or sensory impairments, socio-economic status, and psychological or cognitive vulnerabilities (SAGEUSA, 2013). For example, major life transitions such as the death of a loved one or location-related barriers, joined with stigma and discrimination, can make it difficult for LGBT elders to find the community supports they need to age successfully and avoid social isolation. Having limed funds, minimal support, and facing discrimination can lead into the major health care disparity, the ability to obtain safe and stable healthcare services, such as nursing home
The study was published by Equal Rights Center in 2014 after the nationwide matched-pair study was completed. The research compared LGBT identified senior and heterosexual identified senior in contacting the same senior housing community to determine availability. The results exposed that the LGBT identified senior experienced unfavorable differential treatment in terms of availability of housing, pricing, financial incentives, amenities, or application requirements (Equal Rights Center