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ROLE OF POLICY AND POLICY ADVOCACY IN PALLIATIVE AND END-OF-LIFE CARE FOR LGBTQ PERSONS

The role of policy in shaping the experience of LGBTQ persons in serious illness and at end of life has received scant attention. A growing body of literature recognizes gender identity as a contributor to significant inequities in access to care, and calls attention to the important role of family members of choice in end-of-life care planning and decision processes. This paper will examine the goals of policy in addressing the human rights and needs of LGBTQ older persons, and will place such goals in the context of changing social and cultural contexts, as well as existing statutory frameworks at both federal and state levels governing palliative and end-of-life care. Examples of progressive policy making in both New York State and through the World Health Organization’s public health initiative for strengthening palliative and end-of-life care will be examined. Implications for future directions in gerontology and gerontological research will be discussed.