For Older LGBTQ+ Adults, Entering a Nursing Home Can Feel Like Coming out All Over Again

A research team at Rush University Medical Center set out to find out how older LGBTQ+ adults felt in long-term care facilities and what guidelines were in place in these facilities to protect its residents.

Ombudsmen advocate for long-term care residents at a distance during COVID-19

Social isolation necessitated by COVID-19 weighs on everyone, especially older adults and those living with disabilities who may have already felt relatively isolated before the pandemic even started, said Greg Shelley, program manager of the Harris County Long-term Care Ombudsman Program at Cizik School of Nursing at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth). Likewise, the staff and volunteers who are dedicated to advocating for rights, health, and safety of seniors miss face-to-face visits.