Finding LGBTQ-Welcoming Senior Care: SAGECare Certification and How to Vet a Facility

SAGECare is the national gold standard for LGBTQ+ cultural competency in senior care. Run by SAGE (Services and Advocacy for LGBT Elders), the program trains and certifies senior living communities, home care agencies, hospices, Area Agencies on Aging, and state Long-Term Care Ombudsman programs. As of early 2026, more than 950 organizations across all 50 states hold a SAGECare credential, and the directory is free to search at sageusa.care.

The certification comes in four tiers. Platinum means at least 80 percent of staff (including all leadership) have completed a four-hour live training on LGBTQ+ aging issues, and the organization has signed a public commitment to nondiscrimination. Gold means at least 50 percent of staff have completed the training plus 100 percent of leadership. Silver and Bronze mean smaller percentages with leadership training only. Platinum is the highest credential a facility can hold, and the list of Platinum-credentialed providers includes some of the largest senior living chains in the country, along with hundreds of smaller independent facilities.

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation runs a parallel program called the Long-Term Care Equality Index (LEI). The LEI scores facilities on four areas: nondiscrimination policies, resident services and support, employee benefits and policies, and resident engagement. A perfect score is 100. In 2025, 250 facilities earned the Top Performer designation (a score of 80 or higher). The LEI directory is free at thehrcfoundation.org/professional-resources/lei.

Having both certifications is the strongest signal a facility can give. Many facilities hold one but not the other. Either is a credible indicator that the facility has invested real resources in LGBTQ+ inclusion. A facility with no certification is not necessarily unwelcoming, but it has not made the public commitment, and you will need to vet it more carefully on your own.

What if no certified facility exists near you? In rural areas and in many southern states, the nearest SAGECare or LEI provider may be 100 miles away. You then have two options: relocate (if family ties and finances allow), or vet a non-certified facility carefully and negotiate explicit protections into your move-in agreement. This guide covers the certification system in depth and gives you a tour checklist for facilities that have not been certified.

Keep in mind that certification is not a guarantee. A facility can be Platinum-credentialed and still have one staff member who treats you poorly. Certification means the leadership has invested in training and made a public commitment, which is a strong starting point, not the finish line. Continue to advocate for yourself even at a Platinum facility, and report problems to both the facility administrator and to SAGE directly.

(Sources: SAGECare provider directory at sageusa.care; HRC Foundation Long-Term Care Equality Index 2025 report; SAGE 2024 SAGECare program impact summary; AARP Caregiving Resource Center LGBTQ+ section, accessed May 2026)