Why Sex is Important to the Aging Population
Sex can be a normal part of aging - and a positive one with a variety of benefits. But the senior population has to take more precautions as sexually transmitted diseases are becoming an epidemic in their age group.
Sarah Storms, marketing manager for Bayada Home Health Care, gave a presentation last month on “Sexuality and Seniors,” outlining the pluses and minuses of grandma and grandpa getting intimate.
“I want to remind people that having sex is OK,” she said. “It’s a weird topic to have to talk about. It’s OK to talk about. It all boils down to what you like makes you happy and if it makes you happy, it’s good for you.”
“Sexuality and Seniors” was the second in a threepart Dementia Education Series offered by The Residence at Chadds Ford to discuss sexuality in the aging population, including the benefits and challenges specific to that generation.
The Residence at Chadds Ford is an 84-apartment, 82,000-square-feet senior community owned by Norwood, Mass.-based LCB Senior Living, anticipated to be opening this fall at 1778 Wilmington Pike in Glen Mills. It features studio, one- and twobedroom apartments with a movie theater, exercise room and common kitchen areas. There’s also “any time dining,” where residents can receive full service any time of day and there is a specified section for Memory Care.
In addressing sexuality and the older adult, Storms offered some statistics from the New England Journal of Medicine: 73 percent of 57- to 64-year-olds are sexually active; 53 percent of 65to 74-year-olds are having sex; and 26 percent of 75- to 85-year-olds are engaging in sexual activity as well.
Storms said between 48 and 53 percent of all older adults are sexually active at least one to three times a month.
“Which I think is awesome,” she said. “You’re keeping your body going, you’re physically active, it’s good for you ... Being sexually active in older adulthood has a positive correlation with health and quality of life.”
However, the satisfaction rates could be better.
“Thirty nine percent are satisfied with their sex lives and 39 percent would like more,” she said, adding, “Men are twice as likely as women to report wanting more sex.”
Storms also addressed some situations that could impede one’s sex life.
She mentioned heart disease and arthritis.
“Your body doesn’t want to move that way anymore,” Storms said. “It hurts, it creaks. You have chronic pain. Who wants to get down when you’re not feeling good yourself?”
She explained that diabetes is the leading cause of erectile dysfunction in men.
And, Storms noted, “Surgery will throw you off your game for six to eight weeks, sometimes more.”
The speaker suggested that stretching prior to sexual activity could be beneficial for injury prevention.
She also suggested
avoiding positions that caused pain and finding times of day when sex could be more enjoyably performed, particularly for those with arthritis.
For the women, Storms also highly recommended performing Kegel exercises to strengthen the Pubococcygeus muscles, to improve sexual response and function, to prevent urinary stress incontinence,
to increase the thickness of the vaginal wall and lubrication particularly after menopause, to restore vaginal muscle tone and improved vaginal health and to increase blood flow and nerve supply to the pelvic region.
In line with the series, she also spoke about how dementia can impact sexuality.
“This is hard to talk about with dementia but it is good for dementia clients to continue having sex because it continues
intimacy with a partner who may be struggling emotionally with (the) disease,” she said. “It may help you to have that fundamental relationship with your spouse. It helps your partner feel more involved with your loved one during a very difficult time.”
Storms added, however, there are challenges.
“On the flip side, you may have a partner who might not want to have sex with you any longer and they might be looking to have sex with
someone outside the marital bed,” she said. “If they are mentally able to make the decision that they want to have sex, you have to respect that ... it’s a part of who they are ... The one thing I can take away is consent is always key.”
She suggested visiting the Alzheimer’s Association website at alz.org for more information about changes to a relationship with the onset of degenerative brain diseases.
Storms also warned about another phenomenon
occurring among sexually active seniors: STDs.
“It is a major epidemic in the adult population,” she said. “It really is ... As the older population is getting a little bit older, they are now ... transmitting a lot of diseases.”
She noted that there were 885 cases of syphilis among the older adult population nationwide in 2000. By 2010, that number had increased to 2,500.
Chlamydia in older adults was reported in 6,700 cases in 2000. Ten years later, it had surged to 19,000.
“Fifteen percent of new HIV diagnoses are aged 50 and older in the United States,” Storms said.
Looking at some of the reasons as to why this is occurring, she referenced an Indiana University report that stated the lowest rate of condom use was among people 45 years old and older.
In addition, limited education, cultural/religious beliefs and finances may also come into influence.