A new report has found that older LGBT people are at heightened risk of dementia and social isolation, as compared to their heterosexual counterparts.
The new study, released by the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference studied over 44,000 people aged over 45.
The researchers found that LGBT identified-elders were 29% more likely to report subjective cognitive decline, taking into account factors such as income, age and race.
Researcher Dr Jason Flatt of the Institute for Health and Ageing at UCSF said that “given that 1 in 7 adults who identified as a sexual or gender minority reported cognitive decline, it is critical that more opportunities exist for people in these communities to receive regular evaluation for cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease”.
“There is a need for great education on Alzheimer’s risk, signs and symptoms, and training for health care providers to ensure include and welcome care for LGBTQ+ populations”.
Dr Flatt indicated that more research would be needed to understand why subjective cognitive decline and dementia is more prevalent with LGBT elders than the general population.
For more information about LGBT elders you can also check out this resource or go to the 10 Questions website.10 Questions is a series of leaflets written by nurses, doctors and experts with experience in aged care.