"There's Still Time to be Happy": The Life Trajectories of Portuguese Transgender Women Who Transitioned at 50+ Years.

The process of transitioning involves making changes to align one's life with their authentic gender identity. This study explores the life trajectories of three Portuguese transgender women who transitioned later in life (50+ years old) by identifying key chapters in their life courses. Through inductive thematic analysis, six chapters were identified from the participants' interviews: (1) awareness of "something different in me," (2) locked into suffering, (3) finding comfort in something that is socially recognized, (4) "it is enough": it is time to recognize and embrace the woman I am, (5) living my life as a woman, and (6) building and leaving a legacy. Aging and the process of self-discovery played pivotal roles in participants' process of transitioning. The perception of finitude and the limitations associated with the time of life led them to realize that there was no time to waste and a sense of urgency to live authentically.

O processo de transição envolve mudanças para alinhar a vida com a identidade de género autêntica. Este estudo explora as trajetórias de vida de três mulheres transgénero portuguesas que fizeram a transição mais tardia (depois dos 50 anos), identificando capítulos-chave nos seus percursos de vida. Através da análise temática indutiva, foram identificados seis capítulos a partir das entrevistas dos participantes: (1) consciência de "algo diferente em mim," (2) fechada no sofrimento, (3) encontrar conforto em algo que é socialmente reconhecido, (4) "já chega:" é altura de reconhecer a mulher que sou, (5) viver a minha vida como mulher, e (6) construir e deixar um legado. O envelhecimento e o processo de autodescoberta desempenharam papéis fundamentais no processo de transição das participantes. A perceção da finitude e das limitações associadas ao tempo de vida levou-as a perceber que não havia tempo a perder, dando um sentido de urgência para viver de forma autêntica.

Leaving a Mark and Passing the Torch: Intended Legacies of Older Lesbian and Gay Spanish Activists.

Aging paradigms should entail all individuals. More research on older LGBT+ adults is needed since the literature has been mainly built on heteronormative and cisgender standards. The creation and shaping of the kind of legacy an individual would like to leave behind when he/she dies is key in aging well. This study explores the intended legacies of older lesbian and gay adults (50+ years old) who were activists in social movements in Spain. Eighteen participants (12 gay men) participated in a semi-structured interview on their intended legacies. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the interviews. The main findings showed that all participants reported intended legacies: i) personal, to transmit their lived knowledge and to be remembered as good and committed persons; ii) broader, to contribute to LGBT+ rights, and to a better society; iii) composite, the desire that younger generations recognize their contributions, and to know they helped to protect new generations. The participants in this study lived a life of intense involvement in social movements, and currently their intended legacies involve leaving a mark and passing the torch to younger generations. This understanding will help us to develop adequate practices that promote well-being in older LGBT+ adults.

Older People's Perspective about Their Participation in Health Care and Social Care Services: A Systematic Review.

Participation is a right and a key pillar of the active aging paradigm. This systematic review aimed to understand how older people's participation is conceptualized and to detail results regarding older people's perspective about their participation in the context of social and health care services. Twenty-one articles published between 1996 and 2015 were analyzed. The main findings suggested that diverse terminology is used to conceptualize older people's participation; however, all shared a vision of respecting a citizen's autonomy. Older people tend to have a paternalistic perspective although most seek more information and discussion on treatment options. Positive relations with providers enabled negotiation to address individual aspirations, though services tended to be pre-formatted suggesting low levels of adjustment to individual needs and aspirations. Thus, older people and those working with them need training in order to enable participation. In addition, services need to be more flexible to allow users to participate.