Gay and Lesbian Older Adults Caring for Their Spouses Living With Dementia: Positive Identity and Community at the Margins

Abstract

Research among heterosexual older adults finds that caring for a spouse/partner living with dementia is especially challenging. How this might vary by sexual orientation is less examined. Scholarship on older sexual and gender minoritized populations reveals the negative impacts of stigma and discrimination; we might expect this to exacerbate their caregiving challenges. But some scholars point to other, more positive outcomes: individuals untethered from heteronormativity can experience growth, value their identities, and form community. We explore these possibilities using in-depth interviews conducted nationally with 13 gay men and 16 lesbian women who cared for their spouses/partners living with dementia. We find that most expressed positive views of their identities and the characteristics that are often stigmatized; they also note the valuable lessons learned through their experiences of discrimination, particularly through the support and resources gleaned from their communities. They indicate that both of these influence their caregiving in positive ways.