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Episode 1: Senses Episode 2: Loneliness Episode 3: Cognitive Engagement Episode 4: Exercise Episode 5: Nutrition Episode 6: Brain-Health Resolution Episode 7: Air Pollution Episode 8: SleepEpisode 9: Keep it SimpleEpisode 10: StressEpisode 11: Caregiving Episode 12: DNAEpisode 13: Women’s Brain Health Episode 14: Stick it to StigmaEpisode 15: The Why Behind DefyEpisode 16: Lying for LoveEpisode 17: Music, Memories and the Mind Episode 18: Well-Being Episode 19: Brain Injury and Dementia Risk Episode 20: Transitions Episode 21: The Heart of a Healthy Brain Episode 22: No Brain Left BehindEpisode 23: On the RocksEpisode 24: In FocusEpisode 25: Living with Pride

Defy Dementia Episode 25: Living with Pride in the Face of Dementia

In this special Pride episode, we learn about the increased risk of dementia facing those in the 2SLGBTQI communities, and about the tools, techniques, and resources available to mitigate that risk. We follow the story of Susan Gapka, the first openly trans person to receive a key to the City of Toronto in recognition for her work as an advocate, researcher, community organizer, and human rights activist, who also overcame mental health challenges as well as alcohol and drug use. And we learn from geriatrician, clinician scientist, and proud 2SLGBTQI community member Dr. Samir Sinha as he shares insights as a dementia advisor and researcher, and elaborates on how society can better support 2SLGBTQI people living with dementia and their care partners. Tune in at defydementia.org, or anywhere you get your podcasts. 
 
Episode 25: Transcript Coming Soon

 

 
Key Messages:

  • 2SLGBTQI people may face increased dementia risk because of their increased risk of discrimination, social isolation, and health inequities.
  • Dementia may erase recent memories over time. 2SLGBTQI people living with dementia may forget their experiences related to coming out or transitioning.
  • The healthcare system is not currently equipped to support all 2SLGBTQI people living with dementia and their care partners.
 

Key actions  

  • Reach out to community and advocacy groups like Egale Canada and PFLAG for support and to promote positive change.
  • Healthcare workers, take the opportunity to learn more about the needs of 2SLGBTQI people and their care partners.
  • If a person has forgotten their experiences related to coming out or transitioning, be mindful of how they feel in the moment.
  • For people facing inequities, it is especially important to make lifestyle changes to reduce dementia risk when and where you can.
 

Learn more about our guests

Susan Gapka grew up in the 1960s on a military base in Ontario. She ran away from home when she was a teenager, and for a decade experienced homelessness on the streets of Toronto. Susan’s journey took a powerful turn in her forties when she came out as trans. She is celebrating long-term recovery from mental health challenges, as well as alcohol and drug use. After coming out, she became an advocate, researcher, community organizer, and activist for human rights. In 2018, Susan became the first openly trans person to receive a key to the City of Toronto in recognition for her efforts. Susan has been working for a decade at a community centre in Toronto’s 2SLGBTQI village. She continues her advocacy work with the Canadian Union of Public Employees. 
 
Dr. Samir Sinha is a geriatrician and clinician scientist at Sinai Health System and the University Health Network; a Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto; the Director of Health Policy Research at Toronto Metropolitan University’s National Institute on Ageing (NIA); a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and the Royal Society of Medicine; and a Visiting Fellow at the University of Oxford. He is a former member of the Government of Canada’s National Seniors Council and currently a member of its Ministerial Advisory Board on Dementia. He also recently led the development of Canada’s new National Long-Term Care Services Standard. Since 2014, he has served as a member of the American Red Cross Scientific Advisory Council and was recently appointed to serve on the Board of Trustees for HelpAge International. Dr. Sinha grew up in Winnipeg with immigrant parents who were both physicians. As a gay man, he is a proud member of the 2SLGBTQI communities. He is a contributor to the 2022 NIA and Egale Canada report Coming Out and Coming In To Living In With Dementia, detailing how to enhance support for 2SLGBTQI people living with dementia and their care partners.
 

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