Celebrating Every Story, Our Commitment to 2SLGBTQ+ Seniors This Pride Month

At Success Home Care in Victoria, BC, we believe that true care means embracing and celebrating the full identity of every individual we serve. This week, June 9th to 15th, 2025, marks Loneliness Awareness Week, a broader initiative, but for our 2SLGBTQ+ seniors, it underscores a critical truth: Pride Month is not just a celebration; it’s a vital recognition of decades of advocacy, personal struggle, and hard-won progress in LGBTQ2+ rights.

Why Pride Month Matters Uniquely for 2SLGBTQ+ Seniors in Home Care

While accurate statistics can be challenging to find, it's estimated that anywhere between three and 10 per cent of older adults identify as 2SLGBTQI+. Many in this resilient community have faced a lifetime of systemic discrimination and oppression based on their sexuality and gender identities. They have lived through significant milestones, such as the decriminalization of homosexuality, its removal from the list of mental disorders, and eventually, the legalization of same-sex marriage in Canada.

As a result of past experiences, many 2SLGBTQ+ older adults are often fearful of entering seniors’ living residences or care homes. They worry they will have to hide their sexuality or moderate their gender expression, effectively "going back into the closet" to ensure their safety and acceptance. This fear can lead to severe social isolation, impacting their overall well-being.

To truly create safe, welcoming, and inclusive environments that provide seniors with dignified living, wellness, and care support, the care community must foster deep competency in understanding and supporting 2SLGBTQ+ people.

How Success Home Care Provides Affirming Care and Fosters Inclusion

At Success Home Care, our commitment to our 2SLGBTQ+ seniors is paramount. We are dedicated to ensuring every client feels seen, respected, and included, not just in June, but every day of the year. Here's how we achieve this:

• Comprehensive Staff Training & Education:

  • Inclusion Workshops: We conduct regular, in-depth training sessions for all our staff. These workshops emphasize cultural sensitivity, respectful communication, and a nuanced understanding of the unique histories, needs, and challenges faced by 2SLGBTQ+ seniors.

  • Policy Review: Our internal policies are continuously reviewed and updated to explicitly guarantee inclusivity and reflect best practices for supporting all gender identities and sexual orientations within our care framework.

• Person-Centered Care with Dignity:

  • Respectful Communication: Our caregivers are meticulously trained to use each client's chosen names and pronouns, fostering an environment where clients feel authentically seen, heard, and deeply respected.

  • Affirming Care Plans: Every care plan is developed with profound understanding of the client's identity and preferences, ensuring that care is delivered in a way that truly honours their personal history, values, and gender expression.

  • Strict Confidentiality: We uphold the highest standards of discretion. Personal information about a client's sexual orientation or gender identity is always kept confidential and shared only on a strictly need-to-know basis within the professional care team.

• Active Celebration & Visibility (During Pride Month & Beyond):

  • Caregiver Awareness: Our caregivers are encouraged to acknowledge Pride Month respectfully with clients who wish to engage. This might involve gentle conversations, sharing information about local virtual Pride events in Victoria, or simply wearing subtle symbols of allyship (like a rainbow lanyard, where appropriate).

  • Subtle Symbols of Support: Our agency aims to reflect inclusivity in our general communications and, where appropriate, use subtle symbols that signal a welcoming and affirming environment.

• Combatting Isolation & Fostering Connection:

  • Facilitating Community Links: Our Care Coordinators actively help connect 2SLGBTQ+ seniors with local and national support groups, social networks, or virtual meetups tailored to their community, such as QMUNITY in Vancouver, The 519 in Toronto, or other relevant BC-based resources.

  • Genuine Companionship: Our core service of companionship directly addresses social isolation. By providing a trusted, affirming, and consistent presence, our caregivers help dismantle barriers of loneliness and foster authentic, meaningful connections.

Building a Safer, More Welcoming Future

At Success Home Care, we are honoured to celebrate the diverse lives and rich histories of all our clients. We recognize the courage and resilience of 2SLGBTQ+ seniors, and we are committed to providing care that not only meets their physical needs but also nurtures their emotional well-being by ensuring they feel safe, respected, and truly included.

If you or a loved one is a 2SLGBTQ+ senior seeking affirming, compassionate, and professional home care in Victoria or the surrounding BC area, please reach out. We are here to help you thrive in the comfort of your own home.

We invite you to watch this short but impactful interview with Chris Morrissey, a long-time advocate for queer seniors, produced by BC Care Providers in collaboration with Dignity Seniors Society. This video explores what “aging with pride” truly means — and why so many 2SLGBTQ+ elders remain vulnerable in traditional care settings.

Success Home Care Services 

Caring for Seniors, Connecting Lives

Phone: 250-857-2165 

Website: www.successsolutionshealth.com

Email: info@success.care