LGBTQ+ Inclusivity in Ageing and Dementia
Awareness and training to support the LGBTQ+ community has never been more important. Historical discrimination and unconscious bias can often leave individuals from the community with feelings of deep mistrust. This can lead to social isolation, confusion, and vulnerability. Many also choose to hide their identity in care settings.
Image courtesy of Pexels.
With research emerging that individuals in the LGBTQ+ community are not receiving an appropriate level of care, DSDC's new training course - LGBTQ+ Inclusivity in Ageing and Dementia - comes at a critical time for the industry. This new training course will tackle these issues and provide frontline workers with the skills they need to allow individuals to age in a way that is authentic to them.
DSDC’s Senior Dementia Consultant, David Wilson-Wynne, has collaborated with two University of Stirling PhD students to create this course. Here’s a little more about our course co-authors:
John Angel Bond
John Angel Bond is a PhD researcher in Dementia Studies at the University of Stirling, specialising in the experiences of queer men living with a dementia. His research is driven by personal experience, having supported a gay man with dementia who felt compelled to return to the closet. He is actively involved in a project examining the needs of LGBTQ+ individuals living with a dementia, in collaboration with Central London Community Health Trust and London South Bank University.
With 12 years of frontline experience in dementia care across South Wales, John is a dedicated advocate for inclusive care. As a director of the LGBTQ+ Dementia Advisory Group, he works to promote policies and practices that support diverse identities in dementia care. He also volunteers at a dementia café in Ebbw Vale, South Wales, fostering a welcoming and affirming space for all. Additionally, he has personal experience as a former carer for his mother.
John’s research explores the intersection of dementia, queer identity, memory, and sexuality. He is committed to amplifying the voices of LGBTQ+ individuals living with dementia, ensuring their experiences are acknowledged, respected, and integrated into person-centered care.
Arlene Bunton
Arlene Bunton is a current Professional Doctoral student focusing on understanding the influence of intersectional identities in community dementia care within spousal dyads. She works full time with Scottish Care as an Independent Sector Lead, supporting integration within health and social care in East Ayrshire. She is also a Research Partner with Konpanion, introducing soft robotics into social care for companionship and harnessing the power of artificial intelligence to inform care planning and is a proud member of the Executive Board of the Scottish Dementia Research Consortium.
Responding to the sectoral need, Arlene set up Scotland’s first ever Silver Pride event in July 2024 for over 65s, attended by 187 individuals from across East Ayrshire - later celebrating winning a National Dementia Award for the Best Inclusive Dementia Care within our Diverse Society. During this event there was so many requests from the sector and those living with a dementia (and family members) for training and support, partnered with John Bond and Dave Wilson-Wynne to bring this to reality.
Arlene shared ‘This resource means so much to so many people. Our society is wonderfully diverse, and we should be celebrating this. Within social care, at any age, we should all feel confident and supported to live authentically. This resource will provide a foundation to build upon, to spark an interest, to inform and to celebrate but most importantly, through lived experience input – it gives a voice to those who have previously been silenced.’
After 20 years of working across social care and community services within many local authorities, third and independent sector with those with varying needs, Arlene found her passion in Dementia Care in 2015. She is a strong advocate for quality, responsive care for all and will continue the drive to spread awareness and understanding of the unique needs of those identifying with the LGBTQ+ community.
In addition to the co-authors, you’ll have the opportunity to hear from our guest speakers who include:
Mike Parish, Care Partner
Janice Cameron, National Lead at Scottish Care
William McGregor, Regional Manager, Sanctuary Care
Tammy Collins, Social Care Worker, Sanctuary Care
Mike Parish
Mike Parish is a former carer for his partner, Tom Hughes, who had a diagnosis of Progressive Supranuclear Palsy/ CorticoBasal Degeneration). Tom sadly passed-away at home late September 2022. Mike and Tom were together for 47 years, eventually marrying in July 2016. Mike retired early in late 2014 to care for Tom who had been experiencing increasing cognitive impairment since 2008. Tom’s first formal dementia diagnosis was in 2016 some eight years after his initial symptoms.
Mike has delivered a number of talks and presentations highlighting the particular sensitivities and needs for people who identify as LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Trans, Queer or Questioning, plus: Intersex, Asexual and all gender identities and sexual orientations). Mike has also taken part in a number of research projects and written a number articles raising awareness of experiences and impacts of dementia in LGBTQ+ communities.
Mike is keen to take an active role in improving awareness of LGBTQ+ people living with or supporting someone with dementia among health and social care providers, care homes, paid carers, neurological and other support services. A key objective is to ensure that all staff supporting people either in their own home or in care are provided with key knowledge, understanding and ways of delivering the best support to LGBTQ+ people being mindful of their specific needs and concerns as well as the impact and effects of minority stress disorder and related poorer health outcomes.
Mike is a director and founder member of a dementia intervention company in West London (for Brian CIC) as well as a founding director of the LGBTQ+ Dementia Advisory Group CIC which provides a hub of interest, research, networking and promotion of knowledge and awareness around issues critical to LGBTQ+ people living with or supporting people with a dementia diagnosis. This new CIC benefits from the essential membership of highly motivated people with lived experience of dementia.
Michael’s career for 40 years was with the London Fire Brigade in multi-agency Disaster Management planning, training and response. Michael had a key role in the implementation of the London-wide strategic disaster response arrangements as well as multi-agency national and international coordination of planning, training and exercising. Michael also lectures to students at Bath and Coventry Universities in social sciences. He is a member of Somerset Council’s EDI committee, food poverty task group and a voice for carers at Bath and North East Somerset Carers Centre. Mike is also a dementia researcher.
William McGregor (right)
I am currently the Regional Director for Sanctuary Care and have been in post since October 2024. I have worked in the care sector for almost 23 years starting my working life as a domestic assistant in a local care home. I then went on to become a care assistant, team leader, deputy manager and so on. Throughout my time I have worked in learning disability services, supported living, care at home and laterally for the last 10 years in nursing homes. I recently married my now husband Mark after 5 years of dating, and we have three fur babies, Bear, Teddy, and Vinny who is a ten-month-old St Bernard who is the size of a small pony. In a professional capacity I am part of PRISM who are a body of professionals leading the way for change within our organisation to support staff, residents and visitors who are part of the LGBTQIA community. Through this we are ensuring that we are making our services friendly open and welcoming spaces for individuals to be who they are and to be authentically themselves. We have created a strategy that will support and guide staff to better support individuals to feel comfort in our services as they would have done at home. It’s crucial for our sector to be ready to not only support people with sexual preference but also our trans community who could experience real challenges should they develop dementia thus meaning they could regress to a stage of life before transition. Events like Silver Pride are a strong foundation for the future of being LGBTQIA whilst living in support services such as nursing homes.
Celebrate with us and hear from the experts who have created the course, along with key individuals in the LGBTQ+ community and care industry. Find out why more tailored care is so crucial and how we make our care more inclusive. Join our free online launch celebration on Monday 24 March. Alternatively, you can book one of the LGBTQ+ Inclusivity in Ageing and Dementia training course dates.
