Functional Limitations and Access to Long-Term Services and Supports Among Sexual Minority Older Adults.

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.