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HealthConnections: Ensuring LGBTQIA+ Inclusion in ADRD Research

Informal or unpaid caregivers, generally family members and friends, provide most long-term care in the home. According to the AARP Public Policy Institute:

  • More than 1 in 5 Americans (21.3% or 53 million) are caregivers;
  • 26% of these caregivers are caring for someone with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) and this number is growing. 

Caregivers from the LGBTQIA+ community share common needs and experiences with other caregivers, but they also have unique experiences and needs. Dr. Carole Myers speaks with Dr. Whitney Wharton, Assistant Professor in the Emory University School of Nursing, and Dr. Joel Anderson, Associate Professor in the University of Tennessee College of Nursing, who are leading a national study designed to improve age-related resources and to ensure that the LGBTQIA+ community with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias and LGBTQIA+ caregivers are included in ADRD research.

Chrissy served as WUOT's News Director and host of monthly public affairs talk show Dialogue from late 2021 to early 2023. Her first job with the station was as weekend student announcer while earning her bachelor's in Anthropology from the University of Tennessee. She had previously been the station's local host for NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered news programs; occasionally filled in as host for WUOT's Morning and Afternoon Concerts; and won multiple awards for her interviews, feature stories, and Dialogue.