VA Office of Research and Development
There are over one million Veterans who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, (LGB) or a related identity. Older LGB Veterans face unique hurdles as they age, including stress, anxiety, heart disease, cancer, decreased ability to perform activities of daily living, delayed care, and increased likelihood of entering a nursing home. Sparse social networks and limited access to aging resources are common for LGB Veterans and contribute to adverse outcomes. The proposed study will partner with older Veterans to adapt and test a virtual structured group that promotes healthy aging, self-acceptance, and connection to health-related resources. This study aims to improve Veterans' health and well-being through increased resilience, positive healthcare engagement, and access to resources that support older Veterans' needs. There are currently no other VA programs designed to address the unmet needs of older LGB Veterans. By learning more about how to serve subgroups of Veterans more effectively, this study will also improve outcomes for all older Veterans and their care partners.
Background: Older Veterans with lesbian, gay, bisexual and related identities are vulnerable to preventable differences in health outcomes. These stress-related outcomes can be traced to social, occupational, and economic mistreatment over the lifespan. Pride in All Who Served (PAWS) is an evidence-based practice that serves LGB Veterans of all ages and has been implemented in over 70 VAs with over 1000 Veteran participants. Though it was designed as a broad health promotion group, the absence of key content relevant to aging dampens its impact for older Veterans. Significance to VA: There ar…
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Meets Pride in All Who Served (PAWS) clinical care service delivery screening criteria (e.g., identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual (LGB) or related identity, not experiencing acute symptoms that prevent meaningful participation in group-delivered care, able to access clinical care at a partnering site) 2. Cognitively able to provide consent to participate in research 3. 50 years or older at the time of enrollment Exclusion Criteria: Unable to meet all inclusion criteria
A structured, health promotion intervention adapted from the VA Pride in All Who Served program that covers a different topic each week related to healthy aging, internalized stress, what matters most/goals of care, social connections and care networks, VA and community resources, and other topics that promote well-being.