[Updated: June 24, 2026 | Published: June 24, 2026]
Friendship Village of Dublin, Friendship at Home, and The Bailey at Bridge Park have achieved SAGECare certification, advancing our mission to support older adults who wish to age on their own terms.
On June 17, 2026, The Bailey at Bridge Park hosted a special conversation not found on our standard event calendars.
A group of people came together at The Bailey Clubhouse to discuss what it means to feel welcome and how to help others feel welcome. Residents, members, and staff from multiple Friendship Village communities gathered to take part in the interactive session.
A representative from SAGE, the nation’s largest organization dedicated to LGBTQ+ eldercare, led the conversation and multiple group activities to highlight the day’s topic: inclusivity. On the agenda: words and terms, identity, and what it feels like to be included or not.
When people feel they belong, a community grows stronger. When they don’t, everyone loses. Attendees talked honestly about what makes a place feel welcoming and what gets in the way.
What surprised Ryan Gasser, manager of strategic communications for Friendship Village, was how quickly the conversation took off and how invested the group was in the topic.
“Some people had deep, personal experiences that connect to either being an ally or being a part of the LGBTQ+ community,” he said. “People didn’t just want to be inclusive. They started asking what more they could do beyond this to keep the conversation and education going.”
That discussion completed our journey to SAGECare certification, an achievement that affirms our devotion to inclusive senior care.
What SAGECare Certification Means
SAGECare is the training and credentialing arm of SAGE, founded in 1978. Its mission is to help senior living and healthcare professionals provide competent, respectful care for LGBTQ+ seniors. When an organization achieves SAGECare certification, it signals to prospective residents and staff that the community is committed to providing inclusive, knowledgeable, and affirming care. Recognized across the United States and Canada, the certification covers the full range of senior care settings: independent living, assisted living, memory care, home health, skilled nursing, and hospice.
Earning SAGECare certification takes work. Staff complete structured training that covers the history and terminology of the LGBTQ+ community, the challenges older adults in this community face, and what it means to provide inclusive care.
Part of the process is SOGI training, short for Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. SOGI training teaches staff how to ask questions in ways that make everyone feel comfortable and respected, use appropriate language, and build an environment where people don’t have to hide who they are to receive good care.
Research from Rush University Medical Center showed what many LGBTQ+ seniors already know firsthand: long-term care staff broadly lack the knowledge to meet their needs. That gap has real consequences. When people don’t feel safe, they withdraw. They conceal. They avoid the care they need. SAGE eldercare training exists to close that gap.
Three Stages to Certification
Friendship Village’s leadership team began with a 90-minute virtual SAGECare training on LGBTQ+ aging and creating an affirming culture. Later, they added a follow-up online module to the HR system for staff training.
Next, the same training was provided to staff at The Bailey at Bridge Park and Friendship at Home.
SAGECare certification requires at least 80 percent of staff to complete training. All Friendship Village organizations achieved 100 percent completion, awarding FVD with the coveted SAGECare Platinum status certification.
The final phase was the June 17 conversation, completing the certification process.
Gasser encouraged everyone in the room to keep talking, share what they learned, and think honestly about what it takes to move from good intentions to a truly inclusive community.
Why Inclusiveness Matters to So Many People
According to SAGE, roughly 42 percent of LGBTQ+ older adults who consider moving into a senior living community either avoid it or carry a deep fear with them when they do. The fear is specific: that they will have to go back in the closet. That staff won’t understand them. That neighbors won’t accept them. That a place designed to feel like home will feel like something else entirely.
About three million Americans aged 50 and older identify as LGBTQ+. Researchers expect that number to reach five million by 2060. Many grew up during decades of discrimination and stigma that pushed them into silence.
LGBTQ+ older adults are more likely to live alone as solo agers, more likely to be estranged from family, and less likely to have adult children as caregivers. They face higher rates of depression and social isolation. What they need, more than almost anything, is community in a place that sees them and allows them to be who they are.
SAGECare at Friendship Village of Dublin
When someone is looking for a senior living community that will treat them with respect, the SAGECare badge helps them find us. The credential now appears on three websites: www.fvdublin.org, www.friendshipathome.org, and www.thebaileyatbridgepark.com.
For current residents and families, the certification offers added peace of mind, knowing that the people who care for them have the skills to understand the specific needs of LGBTQ+ seniors. For staff, it builds a culture of inclusion and equips them with skills to better serve all individuals.
But the badge is the symbol, not the substance. The substance is our pledge to ensuring that every person, whether a staff member, a Resident, or a member, feels safe, valued, and supported in every interaction. Not just LGBTQ+ community members. Everyone.
This certification is one more way of saying, “Come on in. You belong here.”
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