Safer dementia care spaces: Perspectives from LGBTQ+ people with cognitive impairment and caregivers.

Abstract

The number of caregivers and people living with dementia and other related forms of cognitive impairment is increasing worldwide. Compared to heterosexual and cisgender individuals, studies suggest that lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, or other sexual and/or gender minority people (LGBTQ+) are at a higher risk for known risk factors for cognitive impairment and dementia, stemming from minority stress experiences. Limited research has explored the distinct obstacles that LGBTQ+ people with cognitive impairment and caregivers encounter, especially within dementia care. The purpose of this study was to deepen our understanding regarding LGBTQ+ people with cognitive impairment and caregivers' experiences with dementia care spaces, and to identify the strategies that they perceive as effective in creating safer and more inclusive spaces. Fourteen LGBTQ+ participants aged 27-78 (M = 58.07), consisting of two individuals with cognitive impairment and 12 caregivers, were interviewed about the care needs of LGBTQ+ people with cognitive impairment and caregivers, and their experiences with dementia care spaces. Using reflexive thematic analysis, we identified three overarching themes from the data, indicating that LGBTQ+ people with cognitive impairment and caregivers feel left "on the margins" of dementia care and express a desire for their identities to be celebrated and recognized. Additionally, they proposed recommendations for policy change to foster safer and more inclusive spaces for dementia care. The findings call attention to the negative experiences of LGBTQ+ people with cognitive impairment and caregivers with dementia care, but also highlight the ways in which care practices can be transformed to effectively address their care needs.