In the homecare and hospice community, our primary focus is on providing quality of life. We strive to provide an experience of care that aligns with the needs and goals of the people we serve. With increased awareness of transgender and other gender-diverse identities in recent years, many of us are exploring how to incorporate gender-affirming principles into our organizations’ care models. The first step is educating ourselves and our teams about the unique social, medical and legal considerations for meeting the needs of this population.
Any discussion of gender-affirming care must begin by acknowledging that social conventions around gender are continually evolving, often in a politically charged context. We are all learning, and we won’t get everything right. The most important point to keep in mind is that each patient is an individual with unique values, preferences and lived experiences.
