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The National Resource Center on LGBT Aging was created in 2010 by Services & Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Elders (SAGE) with seed funding from the US Department of Health and Human Services. Three years into the project, thousands of aging and LGBT service providers have been reached with training and technical assistance; however, a great need, especially for cultural competency training, remains.

M any older adults bring biological or legal family members with them when receiving medical care and consultation. However, sexual and gender minority older adults (i.e., those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender [LGBT]) may not have relationships with their biological or legal family members. Th is editorial covers the ways in which nurses can involve diverse support systems in LGBT older adults' medical needs and care. Nurses play a critical role in bridging communication among patients, their families, and physicians. In fact, nurses are often the fi rst contact patients have with the health care system, and nurses have a unique opportunity to set the tone to ensure patients' comfort and safety. Fear and mistrust are common among LGBT older adults because of lived experiences of discrimination and mistreatment by medical providers (Muraco & Fredriksen-Goldsen, 2011). It is essential for nurses to establish bonds of trust and respect with LGBT older adults (Steelman, 2018). One strategy nurses can use to develop trust is to recognize and communicate with caregivers who may not be biological or legal family members. Biological or legal family members, such as children or spouses, are often assumed to serve as informal caregivers to aging individuals (Cohen & Murray, 2007; Wolff &