PALTC23 Conference Recordings FR12 Ethical and LGBTQIA in LTC - Discrimination, Bullying, and Creating a Safe Environment

Ethical and LGBTQIA in LTC - Discrimination, Bullying, and Creating a Safe Environment

By the time LGBTQIA individuals reach their senior years, they have already experienced severe emotional and physical tolls due to discrimination. LGBTQIA residents in long-term care face systemic discrimination as well as direct forms of abuse. Understanding emerging and ethical emerging issues surrounding LGBTQIA residents in long-term-care and reviewing practical approaches to prevent discrimination and improve treatment of this population is critical. This session will review specific procedures to protect LGBTQIA residents from abuse and bullying and to provide a safe and welcoming environment. The presenters will use real life ethical scenarios to engage participants and facilitate learning about these issues.

Learning Objectives:

At the completion of this session, learners will be able to:

  • Identify the impact of discrimination on LGBTQIA residents in Long Term Care.
  • Describe the primary types of abuse LGBTQIA residents face in Long Term Care which should be addressed to provide a safe environment.
  • Apply the knowledge gained in this presentation to help LGBTQIA residents feel safe from discrimination and bullying.
  • Evaluate ethical issues involved with discrimination against and protections for LGBTQIA residents in long-term care.

Barbara Wise, MD

Barbara Wise, MD, is an Adjunct Assistant Professor for Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine and an Associate Professor for Drexel University College of Medicine. She has focused her work in psychiatry in long term care for the past twelve years and has additional experience in consult and emergency psychiatry. She is currently employed by Cape Fear Valley Health System in Fayetteville, NC where she sees patients in long-term care facilities, oversees training of psychiatry residents, and manages the ECT service. She has served as the Medical Director for several companies over the past decade, providing oversight and mental health care to thousands of seniors living in long-term care facilities in multiple states.

Deborah Theis, PhD

Deborah Theis, PhD, is a Licensed Psychologist and currently serves as the National Director of Training and Development for Deer Oaks Behavioral Health. She has over 23 years of experience working in the long-term care industry. Dr. Theis also has extensive experience managing comprehensive psychiatric and psychological services provided to long term care facilities to manage their behavioral health needs. In addition, Dr. Theis serves on the Board of Directors for American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry, is the chair of the Aging Division of Texas Psychological Association and is the president of Psychologists in Long Term Care.

Brenda Sprinkle, PhD

Brenda Sprinkle, PhD, is a Licensed Psychologist and the Regional Director for Deer Oaks-The Behavioral Health Organization. Dr. Sprinkle has provided psychotherapy services to clients in nursing home facilities in the Austin region since 2007. She also manages/supervises Deer Oaks’ Psychologists, LPCs and Licensed Clinical Social Workers in the West Texas and El Paso regions. Dr. Sprinkle develops and presents CEUs and conference presentation for Deer Oaks. She has presented multiple times at professional conferences on LGBTQ+ issues.

Dean Paret, PhD

Dean Paret, PhD, is a Licensed Psychologist in the Department of Family Medicine at Baylor Scott & White Healthcare. He is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor for Texas A&M HSC College of Medicine and for Mary Hardin Baylor – Physician Assistant Training Program. Dr. Paret has worked with older adults in inpatient, outpatient, and long-term care settings for over 25 years. He has been involved in various professional organizations representing geropsychology and has conducted many presentations on the topics of anxiety, psychopharm, pain management, and caregiver stress with older adults.

  • 1.5 CME
  • 1.5 CMD Management
  • 1.5 MOC

Release Date: 03/29/2023   |   Expiration: 03/01/2026

Credit Statements:

Accreditation: Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. 

CME Designation: Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

CMD Credit Hours: This CME activity has been pre-approved by the American Board of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine (ABPLM) for up to 1.5 management hour(s) toward certification or recertification as a Certified Medical Director (CMD) in post-acute and long-term care medicine. Each physician should claim only those hours of credit actually spent on the activity.

The CMD Program is administered by the ABPLM. For further information, contact ABPLM at 410-992-3117 or at cmd@paltmed.org.

ABIM Maintenance of Certification (MOC): Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 1.5 Medical Knowledge MOC points and patient safety credit in the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program.

Participants will earn MOC points equivalent to the amount of CME credits claimed for the activity. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.

Financial Disclosure Statement:

The Association requires the disclosure of all speaker/faculty/planner’s relevant financial relationships; presence of off-label use of a device or medication; and discussion of any experimental, new or evolving topic prior to each accredited education activity.

If the learner perceives any bias toward a commercial product or service, advocation of unscientific approaches to diagnosis or therapy, or recommendation, treatment, or manners of practicing healthcare that are determined to have risks or dangers that outweigh the benefits or are known to be ineffective in the treatment of patients please report this to the Association's staff.


The following speaker(s) disclosed relevant financial relationship(s): 

  • Julie Gammack, MD, CMD (Planner & Speaker): Stockholder: Amarin
  • Kenya Rivas Velasquez, MD, CMD, FAAFP (Planner & Speaker): OptumRx: Stockholder
  • All other planners, speakers, and AMDA staff have no relationships with ineligible companies.

All relevant financial relationships have been identified and mitigated.

Components visible upon registration.