Transgender and gender non-conforming adult preparedness for aging: Concerns for aging, and familiarity with and engagement in planning behaviors

Abstract

Background: Research on transgender and gender-nonconforming (TGNC) aging is limited. To date, most of the literature about TGNC aging has focused on discrimination (particularly in healthcare), violence and abuse, caregiving and family relations, and religiosity.

Aims: The purposes of this study were to: (a) document concerns about aging among TGNC adults, including concerns that are identity-specific; (b) examine preparation for aging and end of life (i.e., familiarity and planning) among TGNC adults; and (c) examine potential differences in familiarity and planning based on gender identity.

Methods: One hundred fifty-four individuals who currently or have ever identified as TGNC completed a national online survey assessing these constructs.

Results: TGNC individuals reported many concerns about aging, both gender identity-specific and not. The most common aging concern was losing the ability to care for themselves followed by having to go into a nursing home or assisted living facility. The age preparatory behaviors individuals were most commonly aware of included: life insurance, wills, organ donation, regular medical checkups, living wills, durable power of attorney for healthcare, and trusts. Gender-nonconforming individuals had significantly more familiarity with age preparatory behaviors than trans feminine individuals, but had lower levels of planning to engage in age preparatory behaviors than both trans masculine and trans feminine individuals.

Conclusion: The current findings highlight the need for providers to address age preparatory behaviors with TGNC individuals or provide referrals to support individuals in this planning.

Keywords:

• Aging
• end-of-life care
• living wills
• non-binary
• nursing care
• preparatory behaviors
• transgender

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Human and animal rights and informed consent

This research involved Human Subjects and the studies have been approved by the appropriate institutional and/or national research ethics committee and have been performed in accordance with the ethical standards as laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. This article does not contain any studies with animals performed by any of the authors. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Notes

1 Some TGNC individuals will stop identifying as transgender or gender-nonconforming once meeting individual transition goals. Specifically, binary trans individuals may identify simply as men and women.