Introduction:
The United States has made great strides towards tolerance, reducing discrimination, and protecting our citizen’s civil rights in recent decades. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) rights specifically, have been at the forefront of our legislative successes in recent years, with monumental wins such as marriage equality. While LGBT rights have become a high profile topic, we rarely discuss our elderly population, and specifically LGBT senior citizens. While we continue to battle for equality, specifically for the LGBT community, work still remains. Senior citizens are largely ignored by society, media, medicine, and research. While Generation X and Millennials in the United States are commonly more accepting of alternative lifestyle choices, this acceptance has not permeated among earlier generations. As such, the ageing LGBT population experiences unique challenges especially when they become reliant on the care of others. The purpose of this paper is to address the discrimination in the healthcare system for the older LGBT adults and the steps that can be taken to ensure they receive the care that they need.
Literature Review:
Baby Boomers are the first generation to openly live an LGBT lifestyle in large numbers and they are now
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A standard of nursing practice is developing treatment plans that are individualized to a specific individual. This requires a partnership built on trust in which the nurse considers the person’s values, beliefs, spiritual and health practices, preferences, choices, culture and environment as part of treating the whole person (ANA, 2010). Nurses must also collaborate with other healthcare consumers, and family to effect change and produce positive outcomes. They should educate others as needed and create an atmosphere of tolerance and