Old Lovers?
Back when I was young, I never put much thought in older adults' sex life. My views were mostly that after so many years of marriage, job stress, and life, sex is probably the last thing on their minds. Intimacy can be so many other things besides sex anyways, so maybe cuddling on the front porch is enough for them. Now that I am old, I can see where I was wrong. After so many years of marriage, my husband still has his needs, and I have mine. With that being said, I believe that one area I need to expand my knowledge in is Personal Attitudes toward Sexuality and Ageing. My thoughts that sexuality ends toward late middle age was naïve. In fact, in Queiroz et al., 2015, it states sexuality is present from before birth until death, in ways such as the desire for touch, love and care (p. 578). Although certain changes come with age... you know, wrinkles, saggy skin, and gray hair, asexuality is not one of the standard changes. While the way sexuality is expressed may change, the desire for pleasure does not. In the study by Queiroz et al. determined that love, respect, and affection are key elements to sexuality in the elderly adult (p. 580). As you can see, sex was not most commonly associated with expressing sexuality among participants.
In looking to expand my knowledge on this topic, I found this Tedtalk that really opened my eyes to sexuality in the older adult. I think you may also find it interesting if you have an extra 14 mins or so to check it out!
https://youtu.be/pqLhPPOEJB4
Queiroz, M. A. C., Lourenço, R. M. E., Coelho, M. de M. F., Miranda, K. C. L., Barbosa, R. G. B., & Bezerra, S. T. F. (2015). Social representations of sexuality for the elderly. Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem, 68(4), 577–581. https://doi.org/10.1590/0034-7167.2015680413i
Hi Sara.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I was pretty much naïve about intimacy as one ages. It does not help that movies and television show young couples being sexually active but never talk about older adults and their needs. I can imagine that with marriage, kids, and stress, things like sex can be lower on the priority list. But I agree with you that even though some may not be as sexually active as before, the desire for pleasure is still there though the way it is expressed may be different. According to Touhy (2020), sexuality is love, warmth, and touching between people, not the just the physical act of sex. As you said, there are many physical changes that happen to the body as one ages but contrary to popular belief, asexuality among the elderly is not one of them. This prevailing belief can have negative consequences on for healthy and safe sexual function, such as undiagnosed/untreated HIV/AIDs and sexual dysfunction (McCarthy & Pierpaoli, 2015).
References
McCarthy, B., & Pierpaoli, C. (2015). Sexual challenges with aging: integrating the GES approach in an elderly couple. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 41(1), 72-82. http://doi.org/10.1080/0092623X.2013.831004
Touhy, T. A. (2020). Intimacy and sexuality. In Jett, K., & Touhy, T. A. (Eds.), Ebersole & Hess’ toward health aging: Human needs & nursing response (10th ed.). Elsevier.
-Jewel E.
Sarah
ReplyDeleteYour blog post made me think about the difference in a man and a woman’s needs as they age. I think most of us are naïve in this area until we reach it. With all of the changes we have in our bodies, we have to realize that this is a normal part of aging. We age on the inside and out and have to accommodate these changes. Women most often are the initiators of conversations with their physicians about their sexual concerns. According to the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, up to half of sexually active older women report a distressing sexual problem including low desire and vulvovaginal atrophy being the most common issues. Orgasm due to partners failed ability to maintain erection and even sexually transmitted infections top the list of concerns (Granville & Pregler, 2018). As women, we must be comfortable to discuss these issues with our physician and advocate for ourselves.
References
Granville, L., & Pregler, J. (2018). Women's sexual health and aging. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 66(3), 595–601. https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.15198
Personal attitudes toward sexuality and ageing directly influence sexual function in relationships. Most people feel self-conscious when it comes to talking about sex. Often times sexual activity does not disappear because of a lack of interest but because of sexual dysfunction. Men that suffer from sexual dysfunction are less likely to get medical treatment due to personal feelings.
ReplyDeleteA study to epidemiologically characterize erectile dysfunction (ED) patients showed that patients were found to be full-time employed, married, and living in a rural area. Patients reported convenience, shame, and discretion as treatment barriers and searched for solutions to surpass them. Sexual dysfunction can be treated and improve sex among the elderly.
Sarah Allen
References
Rodler, S., von Büren, J., Buchner, A., Stief, C., Elkhanova, K., Wülfing, C., & Jungmann, S. (2020). Epidemiology and treatment barriers of patients with erectile dysfunction using an online prescription platform: A cross-sectional study. Sexual Medicine, 8(3), 370–377. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esxm.2020.04.001