ABSTRACT

Estimates of the number of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) older adults and LGBT family caregivers facing Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias can be difficult to determine, given decades of prejudice and discrimination that discourage self-disclosure. Professional ethics demand that until LGBT seniors and LGBT caregivers no longer face the discrimination and victimization that foster social isolation and create barriers to receiving competent care, providers of all types need to increase their understanding of LGBT-related issues and advance their competence in the provision of culturally responsive referrals and services for these populations. In addition, professionals and direct care workers can become change agents within change agencies when organizations, their administrators, and their providers develop competence in the delivery of effective interventions that help LGBT older adults and LGBT caregivers maximize their quality of life. This chapter provides readers with several frameworks designed to help providers, researchers, and policy makers identify and address the care needs and concerns of these populations and to help organize practice and research innovations into potential strategies and courses of action for meaningful change.