Shared from parkinson.org.
Many who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning plus other sexual identities (LGBTQ+) are more likely to experience social, healthcare and mental health barriers while seeking health care and treatment. When it comes to Parkinson’s disease (PD), members of the LGBTQ+ community may face even more health care obstacles when it comes to care.
The LGBTQ+ community’s PD related issues, including gaps for research, healthcare access and comprehensiveness, and providers’ education has been under-researched. There are currently no reliable quality measures as to how many in the LGBTQ+ community are living with Parkinson’s (to view proposed research, policy-making and educational directions for the LGBTQ+ PD community, see this study).
To improve treatment and access to care, there needs to be more representative efforts to include LGBTQ+ people in Parkinson’s research and population studies.