Retiring in La Mesa, California as an LGBTQIA+ Older Adult

This is Sharp HealthCare's skilled nursing facility at Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa, east of San Diego. Skilled nursing attached to an acute hospital is designed largely for people moving from a hospital stay into rehabilitation, with the clinical record staying inside one system. Sharp is documented on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's Long-Term Care Equality Index, which measures written LGBTQIA+ policies and staff training. It is not a clinical quality rating, and the two should be checked separately. Sharp does not publish a dedicated page for this unit, so services, bed count and admission routes are best confirmed by phone. Check the facility's current inspection record on Medicare's Care Compare, and ask whether Medicare, Medicaid or private pay applies to your stay.

LakeView is one of three Sharp HospiceCare hospice homes in San Diego County, located in La Mesa. Like the others it is a residence rather than a clinical unit, with private rooms, spacious living areas and registered nurses on site 24 hours a day. Sharp describes these homes as the only residences of their kind in the county, existing solely to provide emotional, physical and spiritual care at the end of life. Sharp is documented on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's Long-Term Care Equality Index for its written LGBTQIA+ policies and staff training. In a hospice setting the practical question is visiting and decision-making rights for a partner or chosen family, so ask about that specifically, and make sure your health-care proxy is in place before you need it. Hospice care is generally covered by the Medicare hospice benefit, Medicaid or private insurance.

Inclusive features: Chosen-family policies