LGBTIQ+ and dementia

Approximately 11% of the Australian population identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex people (LGBTIQ+). The number of LGBTIQ+ people living with dementia is unknown as many choose not to disclose their sexuality and/or gender diversity.

Not wanting to disclose gender and sexuality diversity is often a result of LGBTIQ+ people having experienced lack of understanding or discrimination in a broad range of environments, including health care and other care settings.

There is a need for greater, targeted support for LGBTIQ+ people with dementia from all care contexts. Tailored supports and resources are essential for the LGBTIQ+ community as well as their care partners, family and friends.

Resources for the LGBTIQ+ community

Readily available resources for the LGBTIQ+ community include:

• LGBTI and dementia
  A guide prepared by Dementia Australia for LGBT people living with dementia, and their families, friends and care partners.
• Choosing an Ageing and Aged Care Service that is LGBTI Inclusive (for consumers)
  A Fact Sheet from the National LGBTI Health Alliance Silver Rainbow project
• Through the Aged Care Diversity Plans, the Australian Government produced:
  Actions to Support LGBTI Elders: a Guide for Consumers
  This guide helps LGBTI elders to express their needs when speaking with aged care providers as well as people working in aged care to understand the perspectives of LGBTI people.

Unfortunately, people in the LGBTIQ+ community who develop dementia may face social exclusion, isolation and discrimination when accessing care and support via the aged and disability care systems.

Ongoing education, collaborative policy and inclusive practice is vital for all aged and disability care service providers. Fortunately, a range of programs and resources are available to help your organisation to become LGBTIQ+ friendly.

Resources for organisations supporting the LBGTIQ+ community

• The Rainbow Tick is a national accreditation program owned and developed by Rainbow Health Australia. The Rainbow Tick Standards have been specifically designed to suit health and community organisations that are committed to safe, inclusive practice and service delivery for LGBTQI+ people.
• Dementia Training Australia offer a free 3-hour, eLearning Course Caring for LGBTI people with dementia and is suitable for people working in a wide range of care settings.
• Developing an LGBTI Inclusive Practice Policy (for providers)
  A Fact Sheet from the National LGBTI Health Alliance Silver Rainbow project
• LGBTI and Dementia – Understanding Changes in Behaviour. A booklet for aged care staff who are caring for LGBTI people. It aims to provide an understanding of some of the issues LGBTI people may have faced at different times in their lives and how this may impact on changes in behaviour if the person develops dementia.
• The Australian Government has produced Actions to Support LGBTI Elders: a Guide for Aged Care providers details specific actions which can be adopted, in order to ensure inclusivity and respect to older LGBTI people.

New projects and collaborations

New collaborations and projects are also taking place to help develop resources for the LGBTIQ+ community, and education programs for the disability and aged care sectors.

The Rainbow Connections project led by the Deakin University Institute for Health Transformation member Dr Louisa Smith, involves a range of collaborating organisations around Australia including ACON, Switchboard and QC. Volunteers of the national Community Visitors Scheme, LGBT+ people with dementia and other stakeholders are working together to co-design resources to assist volunteers in connecting and engaging with socially isolated LGBT+ people with dementia. To date, they have held four online workshops with community visitors who visit socially isolated LGBT+ people with dementia.

We’re still in the analysis phase, but early findings are the LGBT+ or queer community can do care and support really differently and that is often unknown and unrecognised in formal services,” said Dr Louisa Smith.

LGBTIQ+ Health Australia (the peak body for LGBTIQ+ Health in Australia) recently formed a new partnership with Dementia Support Australia, enabling both organisations to develop better supports, resources and knowledge for LGBTIQ+ people with dementia. This partnership began with the development of the LGBTI and Dementia – Understanding Changes in Behaviour booklet described above. They have also produced help-sheets including:

• Supporting Sexuality and Intimacy for LGBTIQ+ People with Dementia
• Understanding the Impact of Trauma and Stress for LGBTI People with Dementia.

With thanks to Dr Louisa Smith.
Photo credit: Cecilie Johnsen on Unsplash