AIM: To examine how health system design and delivery can fail to support the needs of LGBT+ older adults.
BACKGROUND: LGBT+ older adults face barriers in access to care, impacting their ability to receive person-centred care in old age, which is central to the prevention and management of frailty, disability and disease.
EVALUATION: Using a conceptual framework of access to care, this commentary illustrates issues LGBT+ older adults may face in accessing health and social care services in Ireland, and provides examples of how access may be improved from the published international literature.
KEY ISSUE(S): Health policies, service design and delivery all impact on the ability of the health system to meet the needs of LGBT+ older adults across all levels and types of care.
CONCLUSION: Heteronormativity and discrimination must be addressed across the whole health system to achieve the health policy goal of supporting all older adults to enjoy health and well-being.
IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: We suggest nursing professionals use a systems perspective to address the multilevel issues relating to care for LGBT+ older adults. Researchers in gerontological nursing should include the experiences and outcomes of service utilization for LGBT+ older adults in their research agenda.
