1st Edition

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans* Individuals Living with Dementia Concepts, Practice and Rights

Edited By Sue Westwood, Elizabeth Price Copyright 2016
    262 Pages 2 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    260 Pages 2 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    This groundbreaking collection is the first to focus specifically on LGBT* people and dementia. It brings together original chapters from leading academics, practitioners and LGBT* individuals affected by dementia. Multi-disciplinary and international in scope, it includes authors from the UK, USA, Canada and Australia and from a range of fields, including sociology, social work, psychology, health care and socio-legal studies.

    Taking an intersectional approach – i.e. considering the plurality of experiences and the multiple, interacting relational positions of everyday life – LGBT Individuals Living with Dementia addresses topics relating to concepts, practice and rights. Part One addresses theoretical and conceptual questions; Part Two discusses practical concerns in the delivery of health and social care provision to LGBT* people living with dementia; and Part Three explores socio-legal issues relating to LGBT* people living with dementia.

    This collection will appeal to policy makers, commissioners, practitioners, academics and students across a range of disciplines. With an ageing and increasingly diverse population, and growing numbers of people affected by dementia, this book will become essential reading for anyone interested in understanding the needs of, and providing appropriate services to, LGBT* people affected by dementia.

    Foreword by Murna Downs  1. Introduction by Sue Westwood and Elizabeth Price  Part I: Concepts  Introduction to Part I by Sue Westwood and Elizabeth Price  2. Gender, Sexuality, Gender Identity and Dementia: (In)Equality Issues by Sue Westwood  3. LGBT* Individuals and Dementia: An Intersectional Approach by Wendy Hulko  4. Queer(y)ing Dementia – Bringing Queer Theory and Studies of Dementia into Dialogue by Andrew King  5. Reconceptualising Dementia: Towards a Politics of Senility by Richard Ward and Elizabeth Price  Part II: Practice  Introduction to Part II by Sue Westwood and Elizabeth Price  6. Providing Responsive Services to LGBT* Individuals with Dementia by Mark Hughes  7. Person Centred Care and Cultural Safety: The Perspectives of Lesbian, Gay and Trans (LGT*) People and their Partners on Living with Dementia by Catherine Barrett, Pauline Crameri, J.R. Latham, Carolyn Whyte and Sally Lambourne  8. Trans* People Anticipating Dementia Care: Findings from the Transgender MetLife Survey by Tarynn Witten  9. Dementia Care and Trans* People: Practice Implications by Jenny-Anne Bishop, Chryssy Hunter and Sue Westwood  10. Looking Back Whilst Moving Forward: LGBT* Carers’ Perspectives by Elizabeth Price  11. One Day Training Courses on LGBT* Awareness: Are they the Answer? by Sue Westwood and Sally Knocker  Part III: Rights  Introduction to Part III by Sue Westwood and Elizabeth Price  12. LGBT* Individuals Living with Dementia: Rights and Capacity Issues in the United States by Nancy Knauer  13. Needs and Rights of Carers of LGBT* Individuals with Dementia: A Personal Journey by Roger Newman  14. Navigating Stormy Waters: Consent, Sexuality and Dementia in Care Environments in Wales by Paul Willis, Michele Raithby and Tracey Maegusuku-Hewett  15. To equality – and beyond? Queer reflections on an emerging rights-based approach to dementia in Scotland by Richard Ward

    Biography

    Sue Westwood is a socio-legal and gerontology scholar. She is a researcher at University of Oxford, Honorary Research Fellow at the Centre for Research on Ageing and Gender, University of Surrey and teaches Law at Coventry University. Sue previously managed a dementia adviser service for a UK charity.

    Elizabeth Price is Senior Lecturer in Social Work at the University of Hull, UK. She is a registered social worker and her research interests currently include the lived experience of chronic illness, sexualities and dementia, and the use of music as a therapeutic intervention.

     

    "This is a ground-breaking volume which is a must read for anyone interested in furthering their understanding of, and capacity to work with, LGBT older adults living with dementia. It addresses an area that is underrepresented in current research, policy and practice in dementia and does so with a sensitivity to intersectional identity, lived experience, service delivery and social and political rights. The contributors represent a variety of disciplines and perspectives across geographic regions and bring together a vast array of knowledge from queer studies and social gerontology. Of particular note is the inclusion of the experiences and perspectives of those living with or caring for someone living with dementia. The inclusion of multiple perspectives makes this edited volume unique and highly relevant. The volume pays important attention to tensions and absences within current LGBT research and counters these through the inclusion of bisexual and trans voices and concerns. This book lays down a strong theoretical foundation for the reader which facilitates common understandings of the concepts, terms and ideas presented in the various chapters. As a social work scholar working with LGBT older adults and their families, I was touched by the diversity and depth of the material presented, the links developed between theory, research, social policy and practice and the particular sensitivity to complex ideas and realities including advocacy, social action and rights-based considerations, issues which are often absent in work on dementia and dementia care, particularly within health and social care literature. This is a pioneering book that will undoubtedly have an important impact upon the field. It can both foster best practice guidelines for working with LGBT older adults with dementia and those that provide care to them and encourage the development of coordinated local and international efforts to advance equity and social inclusion for these previously marginalized communities. This book is a first of its kind – contributing important information to enhance our understanding of the lived experiences of dementia and our capacity to provide dementia care to LGBT people. It is a must-read for anyone engaged in Ageing and/or LGBT studies and for a wide variety of practitioners and policy makers interested in developing more comprehensive programs and practices that pay attention to equity and diversity. As a social worker scholar in the field, I can say without hesitation, that I will recommend Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans Individuals Living with Dementia: Concepts, Practices and Rights to my students and colleagues in the health and social care field in the coming years. Than you to the authors for such a well written, comprehensive volume which deepens our understanding of the diversity and complexity of aging in LGBT communities."

    —Associate Professor Shari Brotman, School of Social Work, McGill University, Canada

     

    "This book will prove to be an invaluable tool to service providers, advocates, caregivers and researchers alike. Westwood and Price curated an exceptional group of experts to understand, humanize and ultimately effect change in the lives of LGBT people living with dementia."

    — Hilary Meyer, Director, Social Enterprise & National Projects, SAGE (Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders)