According to the National Council on Aging (NCA), 3.8 million Americans over 50 identify as LGBT. This number could rise to 7.2 millions by 2030, according to the National Council on Aging. According to the survey, LGBT seniors are more likely to be financially insecure than other seniors and to suffer from chronic conditions like cancer, drug and alcohol addiction, and obesity. However, stigmatization and isolation can make it difficult for LGBT seniors to seek the necessary help from social and health service agencies.

Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders, (SAGE), and New York City's Department for the Aging officially opened the SAGE Innovative Senior Center in March 2012. It is the first of its kind in New York City that will offer social services for seniors who are lesbian, GAY and bisexual. It will be a "full-service" center, which will offer food and other services for the community.

These comprehensive services, such as those provided at the center, are rare in the United States. A presentation by the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health stated that LGBT older adults are:

They are almost invisible

Publicly identify as LGBT members, but not generally

Because of their past negative social attitudes, they are at high risk for using substances.

Antigay emotional abuse, social services discrimination, and healthcare discrimination can also be faced by older LGBT people. This is something they tend to avoid talking about, both within and outside of the LGBT community.

The DC Center for the LGBT Community reports that seniors in this age group experience higher levels of:

Poverty and economic instability

Inadequate health insurance

Discrimination in institutions

Rectal and anal cancer

Untreated medical conditions

PTSD

Substance abuse over the long-term

According to the National Resource Center on LGBT Aging, HIV/AIDS prevalence is on the rise among older adults. The number of HIV-positive people aged 50 years and older has increased 61% between 2001 and 2007.

Recent surveys and studies on sexuality among older adults have shown that 53% of those aged 65-74 and 26% respectively, are sexually active with at least one partner. These two age groups are less likely to be tested for HIV/AIDS, according to the studies.

According to reports, older LGBT people infected by HIV/AIDS were having difficulty negotiating the programs necessary to treat their infections. Research shows that older LGBT people are subject to discrimination and stigma when they seek healthcare for infectious diseases.

Research has shown that transgender people are more likely to be gay, lesbians, bisexuals, and bisexual than the general population.

Higher rates of substance abuse are more likely

You are less likely to abstain alcohol and drug abuse

It is more likely that you will continue drinking heavy later in your life.

Senior LGBT people may use alcohol and drugs to cope with homophobia, discrimination, or violence due to their sexual orientation. Substance abuse has been linked with risky sexual behavior, such as having sex without consent or sharing sex with multiple partners. Both of these can increase the chance of contracting HIV/AIDS.

In order to address the root causes of substance abuse among LGBT people, an integrated and comprehensive LGBT friendly substance abuse program must be developed. Substance abuse can also be linked to a variety of mental health issues. Dual diagnosis is when an individual has both an addiction and a mental disorder. As the number of dual-diagnosed people increases, so does the need for dual diagnosis programs that are LGBT friendly.