Sexuality in the Elderly & in Nursing Homes

        According to the first detailed examination of sexuality among older Americans many people maintain rich, active sex lives well into their 80s (Stein). Surprising right? Shouldn’t be. It shouldn’t be because they are humans too, and if they are still sexually active good for them! With age, sexual problems such as erectile dysfunction increase, and the rate of sexual activity decreases. Even as people age, the interest for intimacy is still there.

Now, what about sexual activity in the nursing homes? Many nursing homes will split patients up, and segregate them so that sexual activity is not possible. Most won’t even allow them to sleep over night. There comes an issue with consent between patients who have dementia. There was a case in Iowa, where a man and a woman whom both have some degree of dementia, who were not married (the man was divorced, and the woman was married to someone on the outside) were discovered in bed; not only once but twice. One family sued, calling it rape (Here & Now). Because of this, the man was removed from the home, and the administrator and nursing director were fired (PBS). The issue here was whether either one of them consented to the act or not. But, who do you ask and how do you prove it?

However, there is a nursing home that is encouraging residents to have sex. The nursing home is located in New York and is known as the Hebrew Home. They not only encourage sex and intimacy but they support it even among those with dementia. The president and CEO of the Hebrew Home Daniel Reingold said, ‘they do not give up a civil right simply because they are in need of nursing care in a facility.’ He also mentions that just because someone has dementia does not mean that they are incapable of making a choice in a given moment (Here & Now). It’s great that this nursing home can implement a policy to allow its residence to continue to have the intimacy that they long for. But, do elderly patients with dementia have the capacity to consent to sex?

An interview on NPR talks about the consent between patients with dementia. The interviewer asked the question relating to the Iowa case, ‘what do we know about the woman and how she felt about it.” A reporter named Bryan Gruley answers, ‘we don’t really know.’ He goes on to say that through his research, he didn’t find anything that said that reporters or law enforcement asked the man or woman what happened. He also mentions that the night the nurses stopped the sex, the woman was kicking, screaming, and biting the nurses. Many of the documents mention that when the woman was with him she was happy and calmer. Unfortunately there really is no clear cut answer.

Sexuality amongst anyone whether they are young, old, heterosexual, homosexual, have dementia etc. is not black and white. It is an extremely gray area, and I don’t think we will have a great answer any time soon. But, this is something that is not as widely discussed as it should be. There is not as much information on the topic, because many times the elderly do not have the chance to talk about it because people assume that the elderly do not engage in sexual activity. But whether it is sexual intimacy in one’s home or in a nursing home we have got to raise awareness about the issue, instead of making fun of them or saying that it’s ‘gross.’ 

Click on the link to check out a video that I thought went well with the topic. Sexuality in the Elderly

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References:

Issue of Sexual Consent Between Elderly Adults With Dementia Proves Problematic. (2013, July               23). PBS. Retrieved July 17, 2014, from

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health-july-dec13-dementia_07-23/

Nursing Home Encourages Residents To Have Sex. (2013, August 1). Here & Now. Retrieved July                          17, 2014, from http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2013/08/01/nursing-home-sex

Stein, R. (2007, August 23). Elderly Staying Sexually Active. Washington Post. Retrieved July, 17                2014 from

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-yn/content/article/2007/08/22/AR2007082202000.html