Private Sector Seeks to Fill Long-Term Care Gaps for LGBT Seniors

LGBT seniors often lack the same supports—in the form of children and spouses, for example—that their heterosexual counterparts enjoy, according to an article from CBC News Canada, a trend that’s prompting a private sector approach to filling the gaps.

Seniors who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) were found to be twice as likely to age alone, four and a half times more likely to have no children to rely on in old age, and five times less likely to access senior services, according to research cited in the CBC article.

While there have been relatively few senior living communities that cater specifically to gay seniors, Canada’s private sector is stepping in to close the long-term care gap. 

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Vancouver-based Plum Living is planning to build the city’s first residential complex that will feature home healthcare services catering to the LGBT community, CBC News reports. The plan was announced back in 2008, but the company is still collecting deposits from future community residents. 

Other projects are in the works as well, including plans for independent living community Spirit Place. The city of Halifax is reviewing the proposal, which would repurpose a church into an inclusive senior apartment complex that welcomes LGBT seniors, says the article. 

While the original apartment complex was designed to include seven stories and 65 apartment units, it was later reduced to 59 units to satisfy concerns about the building’s size, reports CBC. 

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Read the CBC News article.

Written by Jason Oliva