June is Pride Month, a time to celebrate LGBTQ+ identity and resilience, to honor those who marched so that future generations could live openly, and to recommit to building communities where every person belongs and is cared for.

For Alzheimer’s Los Angeles, Pride Month carries a dual significance. It is both a celebration and a call to action. LGBTQ+ older adults are among the most underserved populations in dementia care, carrying higher rates of social isolation, navigating healthcare systems that have historically excluded them, and often lacking the family or community support networks that others rely on.

This June, we celebrate, we educate, and we reach further into our LGBTQ+ communities. Because no one should face memory loss alone, and certainly not because of who they are or who they love.

By the Numbers: LGBTQ+ Older Adults and Dementia

The need is real. Here is what peer-reviewed research and national surveys tell us about the community we serve:

Spotlight: Connections: Living Out Loud

This Pride Month, we are proud to share that Connections: Living Out Loud continues to grow. Our weekly virtual Tuesday group, every Tuesday from 11 AM to 12 PM, provides a safe, affirming space for LGBTQ+ older adults living alone with early memory concerns to share experiences, ask questions, find peer connection, and access resources.

We have delivered community education workshops at Triangle Square, Being Alive, and the LA LGBT Center, and continue to build partnerships including with the Connie Norman Trans Empowerment Center, ensuring our reach reflects the full diversity of LGBTQ+ Los Angeles.

New participants are welcome year-round. Anyone interested can reach out directly:

James Santana, LGBTQ+ Community Consultant Jsantana@alzla.org

Community Voice: Why This Work Matters to Me

A note from James Santana, LGBTQ+ Community Consultant, Alzheimer’s Los Angeles

I came to this work because I believe dignity in aging is a topic we do not discuss enough, and it should not be conditional. It should not depend on whether the healthcare system recognizes your relationship, whether staff at your care facility will use your correct pronouns, or whether you feel safe enough to tell your doctor the truth about your life.

For many LGBTQ+ older adults, particularly those who came of age when identities were criminalized, pathologized, or simply erased, developing memory loss carries an additional weight. It is not just the fear of losing yourself. It is the fear of losing the protections you spent a lifetime building: the community you chose, the family you made, the identity you fought to live openly.

That is why Connections: Living Out Loud is not just a program to me. It is a commitment that when someone in our community reaches out, they will find a space that already knows who they are and already respects it. We are here.

James Santana

Partner Spotlight

This work is made possible through our community partnerships. This Pride Month we want to recognize:

• LA LGBT Center: vital partner in outreach, education, and connecting older adults to our program
• Triangle Square: welcoming our workshops and helping us reach LGBTQ+ seniors in affordable housing
• Being Alive: partnering to reach community members navigating chronic illness and early memory concerns
• Connie Norman Trans Empowerment Center: an emerging partnership to ensure transgender older adults have affirming pathways to support

How You Can Help This Pride Month

• Refer someone: Know an LGBTQ+ older adult who could benefit? Connect them to us.
• Host a workshop: We offer free educational presentations tailored to your audience.
• Spread the word: Share our flyer, post on social media, or mention us at your next event.