Sexuality of Elderly
Introduction on Sexuality of elderly sexuality
Human sexuality means the ways in which people experience and express themselves as sexual beings (Rathus et al., 2010).Sex is part of human life, it is a common sense that people normally concern sex since adolescence, but there is no absolute answer for, when sex should be terminated in human life. During the Cho Yiu Chuen’s elderly interview, I saw an adult magazine on an old man’s bed; it triggered me to concern about the sexual need of elderly.
Literature review
The University of Chicago (Lindauet al., 2007) conducted a study on 3005 people who aged from 57 to 85. It showed that 75% of the men and 50% of the women age from 75 to 85 consider sex as an important part of life; nearly 75% of them think sexual satisfaction is vital to maintain a good relationship; 75% of men age from 75 to 85 said they thought about sex more than once per month; nearly 66% of the men and 50% of the women had been sexually active in the past year. In addition, a local study (Chan, Ho, Heung & Chan, 2004) also showed that over 50% of the responded elderly got sex intention or had sex with others. The researches have clearly shown that elderly need sex. Moreover, if sex is in appropriate frequency, even elderly can be greatly benefited. Lindau & Gavrilova (2010) found out that sex is positively related to the overall health of elderly; it can reduce depression, increase overall fitness, and promote brain function as well as increasing the quality of life.
With this backdrop, elderly sexuality should be an issue to be valued. It is necessary to understand the elderly’s sexual problems and promote the sexual health of elderly in order to increase their quality of life.
Sexual Health Problem of elderly
Social Perception Many people cannot imagine elderly having sex due to their negative body image and the traditional perception that sex is owned by youth. Therefore, elderly may be identified as sexless seniors (DeLamater
Human sexuality means the ways in which people experience and express themselves as sexual beings (Rathus et al., 2010).Sex is part of human life, it is a common sense that people normally concern sex since adolescence, but there is no absolute answer for, when sex should be terminated in human life. During the Cho Yiu Chuen’s elderly interview, I saw an adult magazine on an old man’s bed; it triggered me to concern about the sexual need of elderly.
Literature review
The University of Chicago (Lindauet al., 2007) conducted a study on 3005 people who aged from 57 to 85. It showed that 75% of the men and 50% of the women age from 75 to 85 consider sex as an important part of life; nearly 75% of them think sexual satisfaction is vital to maintain a good relationship; 75% of men age from 75 to 85 said they thought about sex more than once per month; nearly 66% of the men and 50% of the women had been sexually active in the past year. In addition, a local study (Chan, Ho, Heung & Chan, 2004) also showed that over 50% of the responded elderly got sex intention or had sex with others. The researches have clearly shown that elderly need sex. Moreover, if sex is in appropriate frequency, even elderly can be greatly benefited. Lindau & Gavrilova (2010) found out that sex is positively related to the overall health of elderly; it can reduce depression, increase overall fitness, and promote brain function as well as increasing the quality of life.
With this backdrop, elderly sexuality should be an issue to be valued. It is necessary to understand the elderly’s sexual problems and promote the sexual health of elderly in order to increase their quality of life.
Sexual Health Problem of elderly
Social Perception Many people cannot imagine elderly having sex due to their negative body image and the traditional perception that sex is owned by youth. Therefore, elderly may be identified as sexless seniors (DeLamater
References: Chan, C. N., Ho, K. S., Heung, C. L. & Chan, W. M. (2004). Study on knowledge, attitude and sexual behavior among the Chinese elderly males in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Practitioner, 26, 64-73. DeLamater, J D & Sill, M (2005).Sexual desire in later life.Journal of Sex Research, 42, 138-149 Hospital Authority (2010).Community Nursing Services Kiger, A.M. (2004). Teaching for health. (3rd ed.). NY: Churchill Livingstone. Kowalski, M Lindau, S. T., Schumm, L. P., Laumann, E. O., Levinson, W., O 'Muircheartaigh, C. A., & Waite, L. J. (2007). A study of sexuality and health among older adults in the united states. N Engl J Med, 357(8), 762-774. Lindau, S. T., &Gavrilova, N. (2010). Sex, health, and years of sexually active life gained due to good health: Evidence from two US population based cross sectional surveys of ageing. BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.), 340, c810. Miller, C. A. (2012). Nursing for wellness in older adults. New York: Lippincott Williams &Wilkins. Rankin, S.H., & Stallings, K.D. (2005).Patient education.(5th ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott. Rathus, S Redman, B.K. (2004). Advances in patient education. NY: Springer. Sexual health matters(2012).Discussing sex with the elderly Tones, K., &Tilford, S. (2001). Health promotion: effectiveness, efficiency and equity. (3rd ed.). Cheltenham, UK: Nelson Thornes. Wallace, M.A Wilson, M. (2006).Sexually transmitted diseases in older adults. Current Infectious Disease Reports, 8(2), 139-147. Yee(2010). Sex and the elderly.Retrieved December 1, 2012, from http://www.fpnsw.org.au/sex_and_the_elderly.pdf