Sexuality and Aging
Jamalih Phillips
Human Sexuality
July 19, 2015 There is a culture-bias in today’s society, with culture telling society that sex isn’t something that older adults should be thinking of. Instead sexuality has become associated with youthful looks and vitality. More and more people tend to think that as a person ages they look and become less desirable as a sexual being. There are some older adults that may buy into this stereotype and think that they are not supposed to be sexual. It is imperative that we as a culture recognize that the aging processes are not restricted to persons past the age of 65 years old.
The cartoon above depicts how relevant sexuality and aging is in older and even elderly adults. Notice …show more content…
As one can imagine there are physical changes that begin to arise in older people by this age, but contradictory to popular belief physical changes do not always lead to a declination in sexual functioning. Some of the possible hindrances regarding sexuality in older age include: hormone inconsistency, erectile dysfunction, illness, fear, feelings of guilt due to culture attitudes about sex, absence of a healthy sexual partner or even depression. Age related physiological changes do not make a sexual relationship impossible, older adults are not too fragile to continue in sexual relationships nor are health always a prevalent issue. The National Council on Aging reported that 71% of men in their 60’s and 57% engaged in sexual activity at least once per month. These percentages were somewhat lower for women 51% and 30%. (National Council on Aging, …show more content…
Physical problems can change sex lives of older adults, but individual touch and healthy sex lives stir up emotions of joy, affection, intimacy, and passion to keep the fire burning. Health care providers have a great responsibility in assessing and managing normal changes in age to better improve the sexual health of older adults. Many older people enjoy an active sex life. Sexuality in the older years is all about open communication and individual choices.
Bibliography
Cartoon image retrieved from Whyte, Sarah. 2010. Frisky Oldies ‘need safe sex training’. The Sydney Morning Heald Retrieved on July 15, 2015 from: http://www.smh.com.au/national/frisky-oldies-need-safe-sex-training-20100220-on2t.html.
Greensberg, J. S., Bruess, C. E., Oswalt, S. B. 2014. Exploring the dimensions of human sexualty (5th ed.). Burlington, MA:Jones and Bartlett Learning.
National Council on Aging. 2005. “Sex After 60: A Natural Part of Life. Retreived on July 18, 2015, from https://www.ncoa.org/content.cfm?sectionID=109&detail=134.
Wikipedia. Old Age. Retreived on July 16, 2015,from
Jamalih Phillips
Human Sexuality
July 19, 2015 There is a culture-bias in today’s society, with culture telling society that sex isn’t something that older adults should be thinking of. Instead sexuality has become associated with youthful looks and vitality. More and more people tend to think that as a person ages they look and become less desirable as a sexual being. There are some older adults that may buy into this stereotype and think that they are not supposed to be sexual. It is imperative that we as a culture recognize that the aging processes are not restricted to persons past the age of 65 years old.
The cartoon above depicts how relevant sexuality and aging is in older and even elderly adults. Notice …show more content…
As one can imagine there are physical changes that begin to arise in older people by this age, but contradictory to popular belief physical changes do not always lead to a declination in sexual functioning. Some of the possible hindrances regarding sexuality in older age include: hormone inconsistency, erectile dysfunction, illness, fear, feelings of guilt due to culture attitudes about sex, absence of a healthy sexual partner or even depression. Age related physiological changes do not make a sexual relationship impossible, older adults are not too fragile to continue in sexual relationships nor are health always a prevalent issue. The National Council on Aging reported that 71% of men in their 60’s and 57% engaged in sexual activity at least once per month. These percentages were somewhat lower for women 51% and 30%. (National Council on Aging, …show more content…
Physical problems can change sex lives of older adults, but individual touch and healthy sex lives stir up emotions of joy, affection, intimacy, and passion to keep the fire burning. Health care providers have a great responsibility in assessing and managing normal changes in age to better improve the sexual health of older adults. Many older people enjoy an active sex life. Sexuality in the older years is all about open communication and individual choices.
Bibliography
Cartoon image retrieved from Whyte, Sarah. 2010. Frisky Oldies ‘need safe sex training’. The Sydney Morning Heald Retrieved on July 15, 2015 from: http://www.smh.com.au/national/frisky-oldies-need-safe-sex-training-20100220-on2t.html.
Greensberg, J. S., Bruess, C. E., Oswalt, S. B. 2014. Exploring the dimensions of human sexualty (5th ed.). Burlington, MA:Jones and Bartlett Learning.
National Council on Aging. 2005. “Sex After 60: A Natural Part of Life. Retreived on July 18, 2015, from https://www.ncoa.org/content.cfm?sectionID=109&detail=134.
Wikipedia. Old Age. Retreived on July 16, 2015,from