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Chapter 9: Older Adult Sexuality

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DOI:

10.1891/9780826129925.0009

Abstract

In older adults, sexual activity declines as a result of multiple causes like medical illness, disability, psychological problems, and social constructs that exist in institutional settings. Another phenomenon of older adult sexuality is that many older adults are aging without major health problems that would limit their sexual functioning. Older men often reveal their problem with erectile dysfunction to a health care provider or social worker. There are multiple approaches to treating erectile dysfunction in older men. The first and primary intervention is referral to an urologist. Functional problems contributing to the decline in sexual activity of older women include co-occurring anxiety or depression, urinary incontinence, thyroid conditions. Many older adults suffering from various forms of dementia become sexually disinhibited and show increasing hypersexuality as their cognitive deficits increase. Social workers have an opportunity to provide psychoeducation to families and caregivers in managing hypersexuality exhibited by patients suffering from dementia.