Catholic Retirement Home in Germany Launches LGBTQ+ Senior Care Program

A Catholic retirement home in Cologne, Germany, is part of a pilot program aimed at enhancing care for LGBTQ+ seniors.

The Caritas Association for the City of Cologne launched the program in 2022 at St. Maternus retirement home. The program involves pastoral care tailored to the needs of LGBTQ+ seniors, workshops for staff to promote sensitive care, and specialized activities like “Queer Seniors’ Evening,” an opportunity for participants to share their experiences and express their needs.

According to WorldCrunch, an estimated 1.8 million queer people over the age of 60 live in Germany, a figure which helped Cologne recognize a growing need for facilities that can provide sensitive care to this population. 

Ulrich Schwarz, head of care in the Cologne Caritas Association, agreed with the city’s assessment: “We said: we see it the same way, we have to support it.”

According to Andreas Heek, coordinator of LGBTQ+ pastoral care centers in Germany, LGBTQ+ seniors may face unique challenges when living in retirement homes which compounds the discrimination they may have already faced throughout their lives:

“‘Older queer people in particular have suffered from marginalization and sometimes criminalization in the past. . .Many older people have had a difficult journey to be able to live their identity openly today. When they enter the new environment of a retirement home, they may feel like they have to start all over again, that they are on their own…That’s why a special focus on the facilities is enormously helpful.'”

If a senior has grown accustomed to only being “out” amongst loved ones within their own home, when they make the transition to a retirement home, they may fear discrimination from healthcare providers and thus re-enter the closet. They may have lost the only community or partner who allowed them to live fully as themselves.

Residents with dementia may experience great anxiety and fear if they feel transported back to a time when homosexuality was criminalized. The pilot program seeks to attend to these unique circumstances through community-building, pastoral accompaniment, and staff training.

Schwarz hopes to expand the program to all seven Caritas senior homes in Cologne, and he reports that there has been “no negative feedback from church circles.” While some non-Catholic retirement facilities have likewise recognized the need for LGBTQ+ senior care, the need is still great. WorldCrunch explained:

“The Berlin Gay Counseling Service awards a quality seal called ‘Lebensort Vielfalt’. To do this, facilities must meet certain criteria, including training half of their staff in queer-sensitive care. Only 20 senior homes and care services [of approximately 16,000 across Germany] have received the seal so far.

“For residents like Helmut Baumeister, an 81-year-old bisexual man, living at St. Maternus gives him the opportunity to live fully as himself, embracing both his sexual orientation and his faith. He sees ‘no contradiction in being Christian and queer’ [stating:]

“‘I can’t imagine my life without the church. Many people don’t think much of the church and leave. But I think you have to have something in life that gives you stability. For me, it’s the church.'”

The program improves not only the lives of the residents, but the staff as well. Meik Schmitz found a refuge at St. Maternus, where many of his colleagues likewise identify as queer. Schmitz grew up in a Catholic family but distanced himself when he faced rejection from his family and church community. At St. Maternus, he has found community with his colleagues as well as with residents. Whether it be marching with residents in the Christopher Street Day Pride parade or listening to the stories of residents who lost loved ones to AIDS, St. Maternus’ focus on LGBTQ+ elder care has allowed carers like Schmitz and residents like Baumeister to connect and heal together.

—Phoebe Carstens (they/them), New Ways Ministry, October XX, 2024