Expressive Touch and the Attitude of Care: The Case for LGBT-Inclusive Intake in Aging Network Services

This article uses the work of Eva Feder Kittay and Maurice Merleau-Ponty to advocate for LGBT-inclusive intake questions across aging network services. I argue that care providers need to know their charge’s sexual orientation and/or gender identity because caring touch is responsive, meaning that the care provider understands how her touch will be perceived and can change her actions accordingly. Information about a charge’s sexual orientation and/or gender identity is one important way to furnish the care provider with the information she needs to calibrate effectively the expressive impact of her touch.