Janine Lane, Consultant Nurse leads global talk on older LGBTQ+ dementia care at the BMJ International Forum

In celebration of Pride Month, we are proud to highlight Janine Lane, Consultant Nurse for Dementia, who represented CLCH Research and Development (R&D) Team and London South Bank University (LSBU) at the prestigious BMJ International Forum on Quality and Safety in Healthcare, held in the Netherlands last month.

This representation was part of a collaborative initiative between CLCH R&D Team and LSBU, funded by the NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research) North West London Clinical Research Network. The project aimed to highlight the often-overlooked care experiences of older LGBTQ+ individuals in health and social care settings, and to advocate for more research focused on this underserved group. Jake Edwards, Co-chair of the Rainbow Network said, “When we’re caring for older LGBTQ+ people, it’s crucial to remember the world they grew up in. Homosexuality was only partially decriminalised in 1967, which was 58 years ago.”

As part of this initiative, a robust poster presentation and abstract were devised (Download from this page), summarising findings from a 2024 focus group hosted by the R&D Team and Professor Ben Thomas at LSBU. This focus group engaged 25 participants, including older LGBTQ+ individuals living with cognitive decline or dementia. The session uncovered critical insights into the unique challenges faced by this group that formed the basis of the abstract later accepted by the BMJ International Forum.

At the conference, Janine presented the findings to an international audience, helping to raise awareness of the significant barriers older LGBTQ+ people face in accessing health and social care services. These include feelings of exclusion, a lack of personalised care, and systemic gaps in meeting their needs. Additional challenges identified include the greater impact of long-term health conditions, feeling unwelcome or unsafe, and services that fail to adequately support older LGBTQ+ individuals with memory problems or dementia.

The overarching message from the poster and abstract emphasised the urgent need for a global shift in how health and social care systems approach older LGBTQ+ people needs. To drive meaningful improvement, health and social care services must work together effectively to reduce health inequalities, actively listen to the experiences of older LGBTQ+ individuals, and prioritise care that is personalised, respectful and inclusive. Jake added, “The freedom LGBTQ+ people have today cannot be taken for granted, and anyone above the age of 60 will have grown up being socially and legally discriminated against and may still carry that fear”.

The presentation received enthusiastic engagement from attendees at the forum, highlighting strong interest in this vital yet underrepresented area of research. Notably, this was the only poster at the forum focused on research involving older LGBTQ+ people, reaffirming the need to prioritise this area for further study.

“Representing CLCH at the BMJ International Forum was an absolute privilege”, said Janine.

She passionately called for a 'call to arms' within health and social care, outlining key recommendations:

• Staff must recognise and assess the additional social and psychological impacts of long-term conditions on older LGBTQ+ people—including isolation, stigma and discrimination—and tailor care plans accordingly
• Person-centred care must honour each individual’s identity and lived experiences, ensuring respect and dignity at every stage
• And services must create inclusive, welcoming, and safe environments for older LGBTQ+ individuals with cognitive decline or dementia and their carers, fostering affirmation and support throughout the care journey.

This collaborative initiative and its innovative presentation at the BMJ International Forum serve as a strong reflection of our ongoing commitment to advancing equity and inclusion in care for older LGBTQ+ communities, particularly in long-term and dementia care.

Advocacy for this important topic continues, as Janine is also scheduled to present at the Royal College Conference in Wales in September 2025.