"He went into the closet again": new report on elderly LGBTI people in the Nordic countries
There is a lack of knowledge about the experiences and needs of elderly LGBTI persons in the Nordic region. This is shown in a new report from NIKK on the living conditions of elderly LGBTI people and their encounters with health and social care.
The situation of LGBTI people has changed radically in recent decades in many parts of the world, including the Nordic countries. Access to social and legal rights has increased, stronger protection against discrimination has been established, and LGBTI people have gained greater visibility and more meeting places.
Nevertheless, public health surveys show how a gender identity or sexuality that goes beyond the norm still matters. LGBTI people, particularly bisexual and transgender people, experience greater vulnerability and poorer mental and physical health than the majority population over the life course.
How do these conditions affect the opportunities for elderly LGBTI people in the ageing process and what happens in contact with health and social care? A new report from NIKK, Nordic Information on Gender, describes the current state of research in the Nordic countries and how the LGBTI perspective is taken into account in training programmes for the professional groups that meet elderly LGBTI people.
The report was commissioned by the Nordic Council of Ministers and includes an overview of quantitative and qualitative studies, as well as interviews and a review of policy documents.
The report includes recommendations for healthcare and social care, for professional qualification study programmes and Continuing, or continuous, professional development (CPD) and for continued research.
NIKK, Nordic Information on Gender, is a co-operation body for the Nordic Council of Ministers placed at the Swedish Secretariat for Gender Research at the University of Gothenburg.
The Swedish Secretariat for Gender Research has been sharing knowledge for 25 years.
