TY - JOUR T1 - Functional Limitations and Access to Long-Term Services and Supports Among Sexual Minority Older Adults. JF - Journal of Applied Gerontology Y1 - 2022 A1 - Travers, Jasmine L A1 - Shippee, Tetyana P A1 - Flatt, Jason D A1 - Caceres, Billy A KW - Functional limitations KW - long-term support KW - sexual identity KW - sexual minorities AB -

Little is known about sexual minority (SM) older adults' activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) limitations and their subsequent access to long-term services and supports (LTSS). We analyzed cross-sectional data from the 2016 Health and Retirement Study limited to individuals ≥50 years old. Bivariate analyses were performed to examine 1) sexual identity differences in the prevalence of ADL/IADL limitations and 2) associations of sexual identity with having ADL/IADL limitations and having access to help with ADL/IADL limitations. Our sample consisted of 3833 older adults, 6% ( = 213) were SM. Compared to heterosexual participants, bisexual older adults had greater reports of ADL/IADL limitations (20.9% vs. 35.9%, = 0.013). Among those who reported having ADL/IADL limitations ( = 803), there were no sexual identity differences in accessing help for ADL/IADL limitations ( = .901). Our findings contribute to the limited research on LTSS access among SM older adults.

VL - 41 IS - 9 ER -