What Is The Project?
In 2023, Capitol Hill Village began a project focused on LGBT inclusion among long-term care communities in the DC area, starting with CCRCs. CCRC is the abbreviation for Continuing Care Retirement Community, the definition from AARP is “a long-term care option for older people who want to stay in the same place through different phases of the aging process.”
In 2024, we expanded the project to focus on other types of long-term care communities, specifically assisted living communities and nursing homes. The National Council on Aging defines assisted living communities as “a type of residence for older adults who need daily care, but not as much care as a skilled nursing home provides”, and nursing homes as “residential communities for adults needing ongoing, skilled care that can no longer be provided at home or in an assisted living facility.”
Read More About The Project Why This Matters (Click Here) ExpandIn this video, PBS presents the problems LGBT+ people may face as they age. These issues, which range from isolation to healthcare, are important to any ally or member of the LGBT+ community. The stories told by LGBT+ elders in this documentary are brave, meaningful, and only a fraction of the voices that need to be heard.
LGBTQ Elders Fear Being Shoved In Closet In Nursing Care Hunt
Oftentimes, LGBT+ elders do not feel safe enough to be out about their identity in nursing homes. However, the situation is improving as organizations like HRC and SAGE push for more protections for LGBT+ older adults.
Transgender Adults Are Worried About Finding Welcoming Spaces To Live In Their Later Years
As the political climate worsens for transgender people, fear of discrimination and harassment follow trans older adults. This is especially concerning for people who require gender affirming care or who can not or will not go back in the closet.
The Challenge of Being Transgender In A Nursing Home
Transgender elders, especially those who have not gone through surgical transition, are uniquely vulnerable in senior care centers. This vulnerability is exacerbated by the lack of federal legal protections.
LGBT+ elders are often invisible both to the systems designed to help people as they age and their own community. This is harmful both because it dismisses the lived experiences of people and because LGBT+ older adults can be uniquely vulnerable to exploitation, discrimination, and harassment. Aging is an undeniable part of life. If we seek to improve the lives of LGBT+ people, we must take into account the experiences of LGBT+ older adults. Each resource in this section details the needs of LGBT+ older adults.
Senior Living Project Products
2025 DC Senior Living Communities: A Resource On LGBT Inclusion
In July 2025, we published DC Senior Living Communities: A Resource On LGBT Inclusion. This resource is for LGBTQ+ older adults, caregivers, and loved ones. The resource compiles information from aging professionals and senior living staff to help you make well informed decisions when navigating senior living options in DC.
DC Senior Living Communities: A Resource On LGBT Inclusion includes information on:
- The difference between nursing homes, assisted living, and continuing care retirement communities.
- Tips to help identify if a senior living community is LGBT inclusive.
- Financial, legal, estate planning, and advanced directive resources.
- Rights of LGBT residents in DC senior living communities.
- Results from surveying DC senior living communities on LGBT inclusion, specifically: policies, internal inclusivity, and prospective residents.
View or download the DC Senior Living Communities: A Resource On LGBT Inclusion above.
2023 Continuing Care Retirement Community Survey
In February of 2023, we surveyed DC LGBT residents 50 years and older to learn more about the experiences, challenges, and concerns of LGBT older adults as it relates to aging and CCRCs. These findings helped to shape our products and programs. The survey findings were compiled into a brief which you can access below.
Download the CCRC Survey BriefSenior Living Project Events
April 2025–Panel on LGBT+ Inclusion in Nursing Homes and Assisted Livings
On April 10th, we hosted a panel featuring representatives from three local senior care communities: Carroll Manor, the Lisner-Louise-Dickson-Hurt Home, and the Residences at Thomas Circle. The panel focused on a range of topics related to LGBT inclusion, such as resident experiences, policies, training, and more. The purpose of this panel was to increase access to and transparency around information regarding LGBT inclusion in care communities, this specific panel focused on nursing homes and assisted living facilities in DC.
March 2024–Finding A LGBT Inclusive Care Community Panel
Finding a senior living community is never an easy task. It can become exponentially more difficult when you are a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Knowing the right questions to ask about healthcare, policies, and bigotry can be just as difficult as getting the answers. On March 21st, Capitol Hill Village hosted a panel about what to look out for, who to talk to, and how to find the best place for an individual’s needs.Our panelists were Lisa Friedman, a residential care specialist, Ames Simmons, LGBTQ policy consultant, and Makeda Vanderpuije, executive director at LeadingAge DC.
March 2023-Survey Data Party
July 2023-Info Session On DC Law 23-154
On July 22nd we hosted a hybrid info session with the DC Office of Human Rights focusing on DC Law 23-154: Care for LGBTQ Seniors and Seniors with HIV Amendment Act of 2020. This event is in response to a significant finding from our survey that 81% of respondents were not aware of DC Law 23-154.November 2023-Listen and Learn: Panel On LGBT+ Inclusion In CCRCs
On November 2nd, we hosted a panel featuring representatives from three local senior care communities: Riderwood, Ingleside, and Sunrise on Connecticut Avenue. The panel focused on a range of topics related to LGBT inclusion, such as resident experiences, policies, training, and more. The purpose of this panel was to increase access to and transparency around information regarding LGBT inclusion in care communities, for this specific panel focusing on CCRCs in DC. Outside Research (Click Here) ExpandCapitol Hill Village is far from the first organization to realize the importance of the needs of LGBT+ elders. Below are a variety of studies and papers that delve into the unique needs and circumstances of LGBT+ elders and potential solutions for the issues they face.
This report provides an overview of key findings from a 2025 study conducted by SAGE and University of Nevada, Las Vegas. This study targeted LGBTQ elders living in rural areas, BIPOC LGBTQ elders (Black, Indigenous, and people of color), TGNB elders (Transgender and/or Nonbinary), low income LGBTQ elders, and LGBTQ elders with disabilities.
This 2022 report by AARP complies the experiences of LGBT+ people 45 years and older such as physical and mental health needs, homeownership rates, monetary needs, and much more.
This 2019 report issued by Sodexo explores the need for and the usefulness of DEI and Cultural Competency training regarding LGBT+ older adults in care facilities.
Justice in Aging, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, SAGE, Lambda Legal, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and the National Center for Transgender Equality worked together to issue this report. The report issues findings from interviews with LGBT+ older adults from 2009 and 2010 about their experiences in long-term care facilities.
Capitol Hill Village is not the only organization attempting to fill the information gap about LGBT+ older adults. Above are a series of studies created by other organizations that are instrumental in understanding the scope of the issue.