Les pratiques sociales à domicile auprès des aînés gais : entre divulgation et dissimulation de l’identité homosexuelle
The research on experiences related to social and health services among gay seniors is receiving increasing attention. However, their experiences in the context of home care services remain poorly documented. The two main objectives of this study are to explore the experiences of gay seniors receiving home care services in relation to their identity strategies and to describe their specific needs for the adjustment of social practices at home. The comments of six gay elders were collected in the Montreal area by semi-structured interviews. The results show that the experiences of seniors receiving home care services are generally satisfactory; among them, some have felt stigmatized but only in rare moments and have reported mostly having experienced situations making them uncomfortable. The results also show a varied use of the four identity strategies (active disclosure, passive disclosure, active concealment, passive concealment) based on an adaptation of the Eliason and Schope (2001) model. If individual and interactional factors have influenced the strategies of seniors, the contextual factors (type of care or service, time, immediate social context) have taken a more significant importance. Finally, various courses of action should be explored for the adaptation of social practices with this population, particularly regarding the training of health and social workers, the improvement of the home care services organization, the development of specific resources and the social worker’s contribution with older sexual minorities.
Homosexuality Sexual identity management strategies Aging Home care services Social work