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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| Sexuality, aging, and dementia | | Author(s) | Susan Mary Benbow, Derek Beeston |
| Journal title | International Psychogeriatrics, vol 24, no 7, July 2012 |
| Pages | pp 1026-1033 |
| Source | www.journals.cambridge.org/ipg |
| Keywords | Sexual activity ; Personal relationships ; Dementia ; Literature reviews. |
| Annotation | Sexuality in later life and its relationship to dementia is a neglected topic:. Greater understanding of the area has the potential to contribute to the quality of life of people with dementia, their family members, and formal carers. The authors undertook a review of the recent literature to examine: what is known about sexuality and ageing, and about attitudes to sexuality and aging; what is known about the relevance of sexuality and aging to people living with dementia and their care; and the management of sexual behaviours causing concern to others. Sexual activity decreases in frequency with increasing age, but many older people remain sexually active. There is no age limit to sexual responsiveness; and sexuality is becoming more important to successive cohorts of older people, including people living with dementia and gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender older people. Attitudes and beliefs toward sexuality and ageing are strongly influenced by stereotypes and myths, not only among the general public but also among those working in health and social care. The authors recommend that professional bodies should include sexuality, ageing, and dementia in their training curricula. More work is needed on the impact of environmental issues, particularly in group living situations, on older adults' sexuality, and on consent issues. Ethical decision-making frameworks can be useful in practice. Organisations should investigate how to support staff in avoiding a problem-orientated approach and focus on providing holistic person-centred care. (RH) |
| Accession Number | CPA-121026091 A |
| Classmark | BIU: DS: EA: 64A |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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