Senior Sex in the News

Perhaps you have not heard but senior citizens have sex too. And they need sex education. For a senior trying to date again after the loss of a spouse they are finding a different world than existed last time they were single.

For one thing, HIV exists. 1 out of every 10 new HIV infections in the United States are in people 55 and older. For the most part, this generation doesn’t know the dangers and risk factors involved for them. It also appears they do not know about protection as more teenagers are using condoms than people 55 and over.

There is also a 79% increase in sexually transmitted infections among seniors. Because many people buy into the myths that older people are not sexual or sexually active, many health care providers do not think to test their older patients for sexually transmitted infections. This contributes to more people getting infected as they do not know they are having sex with someone who has a STD.

Viagra and other erectile dysfunction drugs have breathed new life into senior sex as it has helped men continue to function sexually at a better level than before they hit the market. This is certainly a positive for quality of life and increased intimacy between couples, however of course more unprotected sex with more partners increases the risk for STD’s and HIV.

One result of these increased sexual health issues has resulted in more sexuality education services for seniors. Dianne Matthew a social worker in Florida is one sexuality educator who is taking these issues on in a straightforward and sometimes shocking way for her senior students. Open, frank discussion is part of her sex education routine at senior centers in Florida. Matthew’s makes it a point to stress to seniors that just because they cannot get pregnant, they have no sexual health issues to be concerned about.

If health care providers are going to deal with sexual health issues affecting senior citizens two things must be recognized. This first is that HIV and STD’s are public health issues that affect everyone. The second is that the idea that sex is only for the young is not only an outdated idea, it is simply wrong. Once it is accepted that all people are sexual beings and in need of sex education and health services, including seniors, they stereotypes will be broken.

http://forward.com/articles/141893/