Introduction: Trans ageing and care – a review of the terrain

Summary

Introduction

There has been growing attention to the needs of trans, non- binary and gender diverse populations from the 2010s onwards. Political and media discussion of the issue has often been heated and has tended to associate gender diversity with youth, sometimes presenting this as a generational ‘divide’. While there certainly has been a rise in the number of younger people openly expressing and exploring different identities, gender diversity is not a new phenomenon. Older gender diverse people are already accessing ageing services, and younger generations will need such services as they age. As the ageing population continues to grow, so will the number of gender diverse people seeking additional housing, welfare, health and social care and community- based support in later life. Professionals and practitioners who work with older people therefore need to be aware of the potential needs of gender diverse service users and consider how to make their services more inclusive. In 2023, the World Health Organization (2023) announced plans to develop guidelines on improving access and quality of care for trans and gender diverse people, in response to perceived need.

This book aims to support practitioners by exploring the context of gender diversity in ageing and providing practical guidance for practitioners who work with older people in a range of settings. In this introduction, we provide an overview of key terminology and concepts relevant to this subject area, which are then developed in more depth in three main sections. Part I explores what we know about older trans and gender diverse people from existing research. Part II explores perspectives from practice in a range of health, wellbeing and care settings. Part III considers how services can be made more inclusive, with a focus on identifying barriers and considering alternative perspectives on inclusivity. Each section incorporates activities and reflections to help you apply the information to your own professional or academic context. We have labelled these activities as ‘Over to you’ to reflect a focus on self-directed learning and application to your own practice.