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New data show 63 million Americans provide unpaid care — but LGBTQ caregivers face unique legal, social, and health barriers. Read how the LGBTQ Caregiver Center (co-founded by Jennifer Henius and Zander Keig) delivers culturally competent resources, training, and peer support to close those gaps. And why specialized caregiver programs are essential now more than ever.
The LGBTQ Caregiver Center launched as a virtual hub to meet an often-overlooked need: culturally competent support for LGBTQ people who give and receive care. Founded by LGBTQ advocates and social-work professionals, Jennifer Henius and Zander Keig, the Center grew from grassroots conversations led by Zander among other trans caregivers navigating a loved one’s dementia progression, into an organized resource that offers training, peer support groups, webinars, a searchable resource guide, and cultural-competency training for health and long-term-care providers. The Center’s online presence and local partnerships aim to bridge the gaps between mainstream caregiver services and the lived experience of LGBTQ caregivers and care recipients.
What the Center Does in Practice
The Center’s core activities include building a curated resource directory, convening virtual peer-support groups for LGBTQ caregivers, delivering training for service organizations on LGBTQ-affirming caregiving practices, and partnering with researchers to increase data about LGBTQ caregiving. These programs reduce isolation, help caregivers navigate legal and medical systems that privilege nuclear families, and supply culturally relevant self-care and respite resources.
Why an LGBTQ Caregiving Program is Necessary
Caregiving in the U.S. has expanded dramatically: the 2025 AARP/National Alliance for Caregiving report estimates roughly 63 million Americans now provide unpaid care – an almost 50% increase since 2015 – and documents growing care intensity, employment impacts, and caregiver health strains. These broad trends make tailored support more urgent.
Research and advocacy focused on LGBTQ populations show specific vulnerabilities. LGBTQ caregivers are more likely to provide care outside traditional family structures (friends and chosen family), to experience social isolation, and to report poorer health and less access to supportive services compared with non-LGBTQ caregivers. National aging advocates underscore that LGBTQ older adults rely more on chosen-family networks and face legal or cultural barriers when interacting with health systems that default to biological-family assumptions. Those disparities translate into higher caregiver burden and greater need for targeted outreach, training, and policy protections.
A Pragmatic Mission
Programs like the LGBTQ Caregiver Center fill concrete gaps: they train providers in respectful language and visitation policies, create peer networks for emotional and practical support, and advocate for policy changes (e.g., inclusive definitions of family in health and long-term care settings). Given the scale of caregiving revealed in 2025 and the documented disparities facing LGBTQ caregivers, dedicated programs are not a luxury. They are a public-health and equity priority. Please reach out to us for any cultural-competency training needs you have.
Zander Keig, LCSW, is an award-winning social worker, speaker, caregiver, and educator who presents sought-after emotional well-being webinars and hosts the popular Umbrella Hour podcast. He is co-founder of the LGBTQ Caregiver Center