Publisher: The National LGB&T Partnership

Country: UK

Pages: 16

While LGBT people with dementia share some of the same experiences as heterosexual people living with dementia, there will be many issues that are not the same. As other research has underlined, LGBT people with dementia have specific health needs along with the usual care and support issues as everyone else as they age.

For example, the challenges highlighted in our initial piece of work include:

• People worrying about being forced “back into the closet” in later life because of the attitudes of care staff
• LGBT older people being more likely to be estranged from relatives and lacking family support, which makes formal care even more important than it is for their heterosexual peers
• Some people losing their inhibitions due to dementia, while others who have previously come out feel unable to be open about their sexuality or transgender status
• The anguish and confusion caused by dementia being exacerbated as LGBT people with the condition