Aging with Pride: IDEA is the first federally-funded project testing a program designed to improve quality of life for LGBTQ people who experience memory loss or who help those experiencing memory loss. Participants are compensated for their time.
The study takes place in the Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles metropolitan areas. Older adults with memory loss can participate with an informal care partner, who may be a spouse or partner, friend, family member, or anyone who assists them. Either the person with memory loss or the person who helps them (or both) must be LGBTQ. Participants meet with a coach to learn exercises and strategies related to memory loss. The program includes 9 in-person sessions with the coach over 6 weeks, with follow-up phone calls.
IDEA is led by University of Washington School of Social Work professor Karen Fredriksen Goldsen and UW Nursing professor Linda Teri. Dr. Fredriksen Goldsen is the primary investigator for Aging with Pride: National Health, Aging, and Sexuality/Gender Study (NHAS), the first national longitudinal study of health and well-being in LGBTQ older adults, and Dr. Teri pioneered the RDAD (Reducing Disabilities in Alzheimer’s Disease) program, which has been shown to improve quality of life for people with memory loss and reduce rates of institutionalization.