LGBTQ at the End-of-Life: Needs and Challenges

By Vivian LamHolistic care is essential in the mission to fully meet a patient ' s needs. And a holistic perspective is the backbone of end of life and palliative care--it ' s the basis of having an interprofessional team that acknowledges that quality of life is multifaceted, and lives are diverse. But getting to know a patient enough to be able to be " holistic " can be difficult. And in the case of LGBTQ individuals, getting to know the patient as a whole is not only all the more important —it’s integral.According to a2016 Gallup survey, 4.1% of U.S. adults openly identify as LGBTQ, or around 10 million adults. Of that 4.1%, 2.4% are Baby Boomers (born 1945 to 1964), and 1.4% Traditionalists (born 1913-1945). And in order to be able to provide holistic care to LGBTQ patients, it ’s important to recognize that LGBTQ individuals have specific medical, psychological, and social needs. They are more likely to experience mental health problems, due to a number of social stressors including prejudice, stigmatization, anti-gay violence, and internalized homophobia. Many are susc eptible to depression, suicide, and substance abuse. And many face isolation, and difficulty accessing resources and appropriate care.On the flipside, LGBTQ individuals are more likely tohave an advance directive completed as a legal safeguard to their wishes, and are likely to have “chosen” or “lavender” families and strong community ties, and highlight the importance of including these ind...
Source: Pallimed: A Hospice and Palliative Medicine Blog - Category: Palliative Care Tags: closet end of life gay hospice lesbian LGBT LGBTQ palliative transgender vivian lam Source Type: blogs