Krystal Kittle

My research, funded by the National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging; The Alzheimer’s Association, and The Michael J. Fox Foundation, focuses on racial/ethnically diverse LGBTQIA+ informal caregivers of people living with Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias (ADRD). I am especially interested in understanding ADRD caregivers’ sociodemogoraphic characteristics, caregiving experiences, social resources, and the intersecting influence of these factors on their health and well-being. I am also interested in exploring unique mechanisms in engaging LGBTQIA+ populations in aging and ADRD caregiving research. My current research focuses on the caregiving experiences and health of bisexual+ (i.e., bisexual, pansexual, sexually fluid, queer) ADRD caregivers, a population that accounts for the largest proportion of LGBTQIA+ population but who we know the least about. My goal is for my research to provide valuable data necessary to design future caregiving interventions and tailored services meant to improve the health and well-being of the most underserved ADRD caregivers, including those who identify as bisexual+ and who have a racial/ethnic minority background.