Papers 145, 146, 147, 148 and 149 14:45 - 16:15 Friday, 12th July, 2019 Room 105, Maths Building Theme Health and wellbeing Presentation type Oral paper presentations 145 All bad? Experiences of ageing among LGBT elders in South Africa Dr Neil Henderson1, Dr Finn Reygan2 1UWC, Cape Town, South Africa. 2HSRC, Pretoria, South Africa Abstract There is an almost complete dearth of research on the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender elders (LGBT) elders in South Africa. This study was a qualitative exploration through focus group discussions of the lived experiences of 25 LGBT people over 50 years of age in the Western Cape and Gauteng provinces of South Africa. In this presentation the views of older gay and bisexual men are highlighted. Given high levels of poverty and inequality in South Africa, findings from a thematic analysis of participants’ narratives foregrounded surprisingly strong themes of inclusion and belonging despite the structural challenges faced by many in South Africa. While narratives of marginalisation and exclusion were present, these were juxtaposed with reports of belonging and inclusion in families, communities, through friendship networks and in healthcare. Findings indicate that, while experiences of homophobia and transphobia are real among gay and bisexual elders in South Africa, participants experience agency, support and relatively high reported levels of social belonging as they age. Key words LGBT; ageing; South Africa; belonging; inclusion 146 Vulnerability, Resilience and Doing Impression Management in Older LGBTQ People’s housing Professor Andrew King University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom Abstract Housing and the home are key spaces for older people’s well-being; places where vulnerabilities and forms of resilience are experienced. Yet this remains an under-researched area of older lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer (LGBTQ) people’s lives. In this presentation, I discuss key areas of older LGBTQ people’s housing where issues of both vulnerability and resilience come to the fore. Above all, this presentation adopts a social interactionist perspective towards these issues and demonstrates the complex impression management strategies that older LGBTQ people engage in to ensure their physical and ontological security at home, what this means for them and how they feel about it. The presentation then considers what these findings mean for policy-making and service provision in an era supposedly defined by equality legislation and how older LGBT people can be actively engaged in these processes. 147 ‘It’s not perfect, but whose life is?’ Quality of life as practical, relational and interpretive work among older people living with HIV Dr Dana Rosenfeld1, Dr Jose Catalan2, Professor Damien Ridge1 1University of Westminster, London, United Kingdom. 2Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom Abstract Research into the quality of life (QoL) of older people living with HIV (OPLWH) typically operationalises QoL as a statistical variable while overlooking narratives about QoL, despite these narratives’ potential illumination of the lived experience of ageing with HIV. Drawing on 100 mental health/QoL surveys and 74 life-history interviews completed by OPLWH, we identify factors that statistically correlate with QoL, then explore how OPLWH defined QoL and evaluated their own lives according to their own criteria. In our survey data, QoL correlated to partnership status, income, work status, and benefits. However, apart from income, participants did not relate these factors to QoL at interview: regardless of how they judged their QoL, participants listed relationships, financial security, good physical and mental health, independence, and a clear sense of purpose as criteria for good QoL. Furthermore, participants’ accounts varied based upon their evaluation of their QoL. Participants declaring their QoL ‘poor’ offered relatively minimal, straightforward, and declarative statements to that effect. Others characterised their QoL as ‘good’ or ‘OK’ only after weighing up their lives’ ‘pros and cons’, and/or comparing their own circumstances with those of other groups. Finally, participants described good QoL as the product of ongoing practical, relational, and interpretive work. This underscores the uneasy fit between quantitative measures, subjective understandings and evaluations of QoL, and the complex work that goes into achieving good QoL in the context of ageing with HIV. Researchers should avoid treating quantitative measures of QoL as the ‘gold standard’ for QoL research, 148 Achieving inclusive health and social care for older trans people in Wales: the perspectives of trans adults from the Trans Ageing and Care Project (TrAC). Dr Paul Willis1, Dr Michele Raithby2, Dr Christine Dobbs2 1University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom. 2Swansea University, Swansea, United Kingdom Abstract Pervasive transphobia in public services has been identified in a recent UK Parliamentary report on equalities (House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee, 2016). A previous scoping review also identified gaps in published research on trans issues that have a) been skewed towards younger trans people, and b) focused on medical interventions rather than social welfare (Baker and Maegusuku-Hewett, 2011). In order to address these gaps, the Trans Ageing and Care (TrAC) project based at Swansea University has been engaged since 2016 in a cross-sectional mixed-methods study to examine current health and social care provision for older trans people in Wales. In this presentation, we report key findings from two-part life-history interviews with 23 trans people (50-74 years). Interviewees participated in two separate interviews, co-led by the research officer and a trans-identifying peer interviewer. Co-facilitating interviews was one part of a wider collaborative methodology. Findings were generated using Framework Analysis. The interviews focused on participants’ experiences of contacts with health and social care services at key points in their personal biographies, their sources of support, and hopes for their futures. Findings indicate trans adults’ concerns and wishes attached to ageing and the burden of navigating complicated healthcare systems during recent and earlier periods of their lives. Findings also speak to the value of trans peer groups while recognising their fragility. We discuss how the findings can help improve trans peoples’ experiences of health and social care services for the future and inform professionals’ understanding of gender diversity in later life. 149 A study exploring the experiences of British Minority Ethnic elders living with dementia in the UK Miss Harriet Falk, Dr. Aimee Aubeeluck, Dr Gemma Stacey University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom Abstract BACKGROUND Current research appears to suggest that despite the expected increase in the number of British Ethnic Minority elders (BME) older than 65 years with dementia and thus consequently an increased need for culturally appropriate dementia services in this population, today and in the decades to come, there hasn’t been an equivalent amount of research looking to evaluate how well or not the currently available dementia services across the UK are meeting the dementia health care needs of the British Ethnic Minority elders (BME) older than 65 years (Osman et Carare, 2015, Parveen et al, 2016, APPG, 2013). Secondly, to date and to the best of our knowledge, no qualitative or quantitative research in the UK-midlands, has been conducted that seeks the experience of living with dementia from the perspective of the BME across different sections of the dementia pathway. THE AIM OF THIS RESEARCH PROJECT is to explore the experiences and dementia care needs of the British Ethnic Minority elders (BME) older than 65 years individuals living with dementia in the UK. DESIGN: This is a qualitative multiple-case study design with a maximum of 30 cases. Data will be collected using qualitative interviewing. RESULTS OF THE STUDY will be presented at the conference either as a poster or as a talk DATA ANALYSIS: Qualitative data will be analyzed via NVIVO, thematic analysis and the use of research participants’ feed-back References All-Party Parliamentary Group on Dementia (APPG) 2013. Osman Sana & Carare Roxana (2015) Barriers Faced by BME People with Dementia .