Create care for all sexual orientations
Studies conducted by the Toronto Long-Term Care Homes and Services in Canada have shown that many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) seniors did not consistently feel safe in disclosing their sexual identity or orientation to mainstream healthcare providers due to a fear of discrimination.
This reality is seen to affect their sense of personal well-being.
The Toronto Long-Term Care Homes and Services set out to reduce this barrier within the long-term care profession by working with the community – including directly with LGBT individuals and agencies – to more fully understand community needs and to create a care and service culture and model in which all residents’ histories and traditions are honoured and preserved.
The primary outcome of these efforts was the creation of an innovative toolkit which includes resources, activities and training programmes to help care providers deliver respectful and inclusive services.
