A new Toronto-screened film uses a fictional long-term care setting to highlight how dementia, bias and staff training can intersect for transgender residents.
The Story
A new feature film, “Neverman,” is drawing attention to concerns facing some LGBTQ+ residents as they age into long-term care—particularly fears that discrimination and inadequate identity-affirming care can deepen stress and worsen wellbeing when dementia or Alzheimer’s disease arrives.
The director, Cuban-Canadian Rodrigo Barriuso, said he wanted to spotlight the difficulties LGBTQ+ people may face when entering care homes, including the example of residents effectively being pushed back toward the “closet” because they encounter discrimination there.
Barriuso said his motivation was shaped by media reporting about long-term care settings abroad that he described as unprepared to provide identity-affirming care to residents. He said the result in those circumstances was that some people would prefer to hide parts of themselves rather than risk mistreatment in a place meant to provide support.
The film itself is fictional but centres on a transgender activist, Lucia Neverman, portrayed by Justin Vivian Bond. Set in a long-term care home, the story depicts staff trying to strip Lucia of her identity as her health declines, including escalating attempts related to her appearance and clothing.
Lucia’s fear is tied to a progressing Alzheimer’s diagnosis. In early scenes, the film shows her discussing her prognosis with a neurologist and expressing concern about the possibility of mentally regressing to an earlier stage of her life as her condition advances.
Although the movie is not presented as documentary, experts and those who work in the aging and health-care system say it reflects real anxieties among transgender people who may be navigating dementia later in life. Allison Sekuler, a chief scientist at Baycrest Academy for Research and Education who specializes in aging and brain health, said bias and misunderstanding can persist in long-term care, often linked to insufficient training for gender-affirming care.
In Ontario, the office of the minister of long-term care says all homes are expected to meet a standard that includes treating residents with courtesy and respect while recognizing dignity and individuality regardless of factors such as gender identity, gender expression and other personal characteristics. The ministry also noted support for resources to assist LGBTQ+ residents, including a guide titled “Welcoming Trans and Gender-Diverse Older Adults to Long-Term Care,” published in August.
Sekuler said that while resources exist, the key question is whether care homes actually use them. She described practical scenarios where transgender residents may have specific needs that require careful handling, including whether prescribed hormones are provided when appropriate, and how staff should approach grooming or bathing and dressing without relying on assumptions about a resident’s body.
Another concern highlighted by Sekuler is the psychological and functional impact that memory and time perception changes can have for people with Alzheimer’s and related dementias. She said regression can shift what a person remembers about their life and the time they believe they are living in, and that training for staff and family members to respond appropriately is not widespread.
Sekuler also pointed to the strain that staffing turnover can create for LGBTQ+ residents. If a resident has to repeatedly explain their relationship history or gender identity to new staff, she said it can become an ongoing burden, and she suggested that care plans should embed personal stories from the start so that new caregivers have context.
As part of the film’s preparation, Barriuso volunteered and spoke with staff and residents at the Rekai Centres’ Wellesley Central Place in Toronto, where the organization says there is a designated “Rainbow Wing.” Rekai Centres’ Barbara Michalik, executive director of community academic partnerships and programming, said staff across the facility are trained in LGBTQ+ affirming care and that some staff take additional steps to become “champions” who can be identified by a rainbow symbol on their lanyards.
Michalik said she hopes more long-term care homes create dedicated spaces where LGBTQ+ residents can feel a sense of community and belonging, describing the goal as creating a place that feels like home and reflects residents’ culture rather than leaving them isolated.
The film “Neverman” played at the Toronto International Film Festival. It is also listed as a finalist for the $25,000 Windsor International Film Festival prize, and it does not yet have a theatrical release date.
For Canadian readers, the core issue raised by the film’s premise and the accompanying expert commentary is that meeting legal obligations on paper may not be enough if care teams are not consistently trained to implement identity-affirming practices. As dementia risk rises with age, the practical importance for families and care providers is preparing for both medical change and the social environment residents experience day to day.
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