Experiences of LGBTQ+ Older Adults in Healthcare: A Qualitative Systematic Review

The purpose of this review is to synthesize the existing qualitative literature exploring healthcare experiences of older adults who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community in all healthcare settings globally. While older adults are faced with numerous healthcare challenges, those within the LGBTQ+ community often experience stigma and discrimination when accessing care. Barriers to holistic care are associated with heterosexism, biphobia, and transphobia and a lack of health provider knowledge. Synthesis of the literature examining those experiences is the focus of the review. This review includes peer reviewed qualitative literature, from inception, up to and including December 2025 that focuses on LGBTQ+ older adults’ experiences in healthcare settings. Participants were individuals age (60+) who identify as part of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer community or individuals who do not identify as being heterosexual and/or cisgender, who have access to the healthcare system. For this review, healthcare refers to any setting or service in which formal care is provided, including hospitals, clinics, physician offices, emergency departments, and long-term care homes, as well as community living settings. This also encompasses preventative, curative, rehabilitative, long-term and palliative care. This systematic review was conducted in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for systematic reviews of qualitative evidence. A systematic search of the peer-reviewed literature up to and including December 2025 was conducted using the following databases: CINAHL, Pubmed, PsycInfo, Ageline, ASSIA, social services abstracts, social work abstracts, Sociological Abstracts, SocINDEX with fulltext; JBI Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports; and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Article reference lists were cross-referenced with the search findings. Titles and abstracts were screened by two reviewers, and conflicts were resolved by consensus with input from a third reviewer. Screened articles were analyzed to ensure methodological quality using the JBI critical appraisal checklist for qualitative research. Two reviewers conducted data extraction. Findings were pooled with a meta-aggregation Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) approach. These synthesized findings were graded to establish confidence in the output. Twenty studies published between 2000 and 2024 were included in this review. Common themes derived from the review included: (1) discussions of the stigma and barriers to accepting and affirming identities, (2) references to the lack of knowledge and services regarding LGBTQ+ healthcare for aging individuals, (3) the importance of connection and community among LGBTQ+ older adults, and (4) the need for and recommendations for improving care for LGBTQ+ older adults. These findings were discussed with recognition of the multitude of multifaceted and complex identities and perspectives within the LGBTQ+ community with recommendations for future research, that is, inclusive of the diversity within this community, with consideration to structural influences on care.