Culturally respectful dementia care training for LGBTQ+ older adults

Training the Long-Term Services and Supports Dementia Care Workforce in Provision of Care to Sexual and Gender Minority Residents

NIH-funded research University of Minnesota · NIH-11376804

A training program will teach long-term care and home-care staff how to provide respectful, culturally aware dementia care for LGBTQ+ older adults.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionUniversity of Minnesota NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Minneapolis, United States)
Project IDNIH-11376804 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

Younger researchers and care teams will work with residents, family members, and staff to adapt and test the Training to Serve curriculum that aims to improve care for LGBTQ+ older adults with dementia. The project uses mixed methods—surveys, interviews, and care outcome measures—to compare different ways of delivering the training and to refine materials with input from people affected. It focuses on both frontline caregivers and management in nursing homes, assisted living, and home- and community-based services. The team will measure whether the training changes staff knowledge and the day-to-day experience and safety of LGBTQ+ residents.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: LGBTQ+ older adults (age 65+) living with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias who reside in nursing homes, assisted living, or receive home- and community-based long-term services are the most relevant patients for this work.

Not a fit: People under 65, those without dementia, or those not receiving long-term services and supports are unlikely to see direct benefit from this project.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, the training could make long-term care settings safer, more respectful, and better at meeting the needs of LGBTQ+ older adults with dementia.

How similar studies have performed: The Training to Serve program has already trained over 12,000 staff and appears promising, but it has not undergone rigorous controlled evaluation.

Where this research is happening

Minneapolis, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.