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True inner self or fantasies and fabulation?: Discourses on gender identity, sexuality, and LGBTQ among care workers in Swedish dementia care
Södertörn University, School of Culture and Education, Gender Studies.ORCID iD: 0000-0001-5235-6111
Södertörn University, School of Culture and Education, Gender Studies.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-2885-8186
2025 (English)In: Dementia, ISSN 1471-3012, E-ISSN 1741-2684, Vol. 24, no 8, p. 1537-1557Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer (LGBTQ) people make up a considerable proportion of those in need of formal dementia care. Yet sexuality and gender identity have received little attention in dementia care research. Using a discursive approach, this article explores how dementia care workers discuss and reflect on dementia, gender identity, sexuality and caring for LGBTQ people with dementia. The article is based on a focus group study with dementia care workers in Sweden, primarily nurses and nurse assistants. The findings point to pervasive heteronormativity in everyday care practice; non-normative sexualities and gender nonconformity were primarily deemed invisible but also sometimes questioned as "fabulations" or "fantasies". The invisibility of LGBTQ people was discursively framed as a result of generational belonging: people with dementia belonged to generations who were assumed to be closeted. Gender identity and sexuality were also framed as sensitive issues that were difficult to address with people with cognitive conditions. Dementia was understood as bringing out the true sexual or gendered self, but also as causing confusion and inauthentic expressions of gender and sexuality. In conclusion, existing discursive framings locate problems of heteronormativity outside of care practice and risk leading to inaction; more direct challenges to heteronormativity are needed in dementia care.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Sage Publications, 2025. Vol. 24, no 8, p. 1537-1557
Keywords [en]
LGBTQ, dementia, sexuality, gender identity, dementia care
National Category
Gender Studies
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:sh:diva-56503DOI: 10.1177/14713012251319821ISI: 001419852200001PubMedID: 39945289Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105000011607OAI: oai:DiVA.org:sh-56503DiVA, id: diva2:1939640
Part of project
LGBTQ and dementia in policy and practice in Swedish dementia care, Forte, Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare
Funder
Forte, Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare, 2021-01979Available from: 2025-02-24 Created: 2025-02-24 Last updated: 2025-11-06Bibliographically approved

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Sandberg, Linn J.Siverskog, Anna

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Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • harvard-anglia-ruskin-university
  • apa-old-doi-prefix.csl
  • sodertorns-hogskola-harvard.csl
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