Care homes told pensioners can also become trans in inclusion guide for staff

University of Kent researchers say carers should respect people’s pronouns and chosen names but dodge the issue of dementia problems

Pensioners can be trans even if they have lived their whole life in one gender, care homes have been told.
The guide for care homes, provided by researchers from the University of Kent, is titled “Trans & non-binary inclusion” and provides care home workers with advice on looking after older lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer (LGBTQ+) people.
It tells staff to “recognise that older people can be trans, even if they have lived their whole life as one gender”.
Workers are also told to educate themselves on what it means to be trans or non-binary and to respect people’s pronouns and chosen names, even if they differ from their legal documentation.
Insiders within the care sector have criticised the guide, which was published in August 2024 in collaboration with the University of Surrey and the University of Hertfordshire.
One care worker from Somerset, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “What about other residents or their families, or even care staff, that might have gender critical beliefs?
“We know that those are protected under the Equality Act, so therefore nobody could be ‘made’ to use preferred pronouns.
“We also have to consider single-sex provisions. A female resident might be sharing some facilities with a trans-identifying male. This could compromise her right to dignity and privacy, but most of all her safety.”
She said that researchers had ignored other issues that affect trans care home residents.
A study by researchers at the University of Ottawa in 2019 found that transgender people with dementia may forget they had transitioned and re-identify with their gender at birth.
Helen Joyce, director of advocacy at human rights charity Sex Matters, said the issue was disregarded by the new guide.
“This guidance for care homes is a shocking example of the way trans activism harms the most vulnerable in society,” she said.
“By imposing the fictions of gender identity ideology on gender-confused elderly people, it goes against the best interests of residents and staff.
“The evidence of people with dementia being distressed by changes to their body that they no longer understand, such as breast implants, is deeply upsetting.
“Rather than offering practical, compassionate advice on how to provide care in these difficult situations, this guide treats vulnerable residents as props in a fantasy of gender affirmation.”
The University of Kent, which produced the guide as part of a larger research study called CIRCLE, said it was written by older LGBTQ+ people and care providers.
Care homes can request a copy of the guide online which can be printed out, and it comes with a poster that can be displayed “to indicate the home and staff are working on LGBTQ+ inclusion”.
The guide will also be handed out at the Care Show, the UK’s largest social care event, in Birmingham on Oct and 10.
The University of Kent and the National Institute for Health and Care Research, which provided £71,067 of funding towards the CIRCLE study, were contacted for comment by The Telegraph.
Dr Jolie Keemink, who helped produce the guide, said: “Research shows that the older LGBTQ+ population is expected to rely more heavily on social care than their cis-gender, heterosexual counterparts, because they are less likely to have children and more likely to experience a lack of social support.
“Older LGBTQ+ people may also have unique health risks that increase their likelihood of needing care. There is an urgent need for improvements with regards to LGBTQ+ inclusion within care homes and we hope that this guide can play a useful role in this.”