Sexual Activity Of Older Adults Over 55+ Old

Sexual Activity Of Older Adults Over 55+ Old Presented by: Prof. Dr. Goriup Date: 21 March 2025 KEY WORDS: Older Adults, Sexuality, Stereotypes , Activity, Withdrawal, Satisfaction - The fact is that the proportion of older people is increasing, that demographic projections predict that by 2050 the proportion of older people over 60 will be 2 billion, which of course presents us with a major challenge of how to provide older adults with the best possible quality of life. - My article raises the question how to help older adults to remain independent and active for as long as possible; - How to balance health-promoting policies in order to achieve a higher quality of life, a key element of which is also the care of sexual health, which we have simply forgotten due to misconceptions. Whether Older Adults Really Don't Have The Right To Have Sex? - Although both, age and sexuality, are natural aspects of older adults' lives, these two topics, sexuality in general, have been sidelined; - Discussions about sexuality in the older period are often avoided, misconceptions and stereotypes tend to ignore it, and the prevailing belief is that sexual activity is reserved only for younger people, and after a certain age, it is inappropriate or even unacceptable; - We often come across the belief that older adults do not have sex because: • They are too old, • Because it doesn't sit well with them, • Because they can't take it anymore.... • This, in turn, often leads to an underestimation of their sexual and emotional needs. - SUCH A MINDSETS, ARE THE RESULT OF: • Ignorance, and the lack of information about the importance of older adults' sexual health for their better quality of life. • It leads to one of the most harmful forms of discrimination against older adults, pushing them further to the margins of society. • As a result, older adults deny their sexuality and begin to withdraw from relationships, leading to social isolation from each other. Satisfying Sexuality - It has been proven that sexual activity causes pleasure, neuropsychic balance, increases the desire to live, and diminishes or eliminates the feeling of uselessness due to age .. - It is therefore right that they should be treated equally in the area of sexuality, just like younger adults. • It is proven to be associated with better health, and better health is associated with greater life satisfaction.  It is a key element of a healthy and positive aging process. - - Velja Tudi Obratno • Life satisfaction / impact on health • Prolongs life • Makes you happy • Prevents the development of certain diseases • Invigorating While we have come to understand that healthy eating, physical activity and physical and mental health care contribute to the overall well-being of older adults, it is imperative to include sexual health care in this context; - Sexual activity plays an important role in the existence of all living beings, it is true that with the perception of sexuality changes with age, but this does not mean that it ends. - It should be remembered that sexual satisfaction can be maintained even without reproductive function, that is, as long as there is a sincere attraction between the partners, mutual respect for desires and limitations. Purpose And Objectives - The purpose of the research was to determine the links between attitudes towards aging and their own sexuality (in this context also whether they are sexually active, thus removing the stereotype of their sexual inactivity) and successful aging in relation to sexuality; - Since we also found that there are no appropriate programs and guidelines for the promotion of sexual health of older adults (55+) in Slovenia, that the educational concept of sexual health of older adults in Slovenia is insufficient, inconsistent and ineffective in promoting their sexual health needs, we also asked what their preferences are in terms of educational content in the context of the promotion of sexual health of older adults. EFA/Factors - 1 - "Coping with aging" - 2-"Stereotypes about the sexuality of older adults" - 3 -"Attitudes towards sexuality" - 4 -"Satisfaction with sex life" - 5 -"Permissive attitude towards sexuality" - 6- "Knowledge of sexuality" - 7-"Perception of one's own body" - Quantitative cross-sectional research within the framework of the positivist paradigm; - We used (our own) online questionnaire, using a dedicated and ad hoc sampling approach, divided into five sets (demographic data on respondents, self-assessment of health status, previous possible recovery from STIs and the time of first sexual intercourse; sexual knowledge and attitude towards one's own sexuality; attitude towards ageing and sexuality; sense of one's own well-being and educational content in the field of strengthening the sexual health of older adults); - The data from the collected questionnaires were processed using the SPSS 29.0 program; - Statistical analyses included EFA factor analysis, ANOVA, t-test, bivariate regression, and chi-squared test; - 1050 older adults (55+) participated, we excluded those survey questionnaires with missing values and age over 75 years, so the final sample included 651 respondents. RESULTS - The study sample included 651 older adults (55+), of whom more women than men; - Average age of respondents 64 years; - Most of the respondents were from the Savinja region, followed by the respondents from Carinthia, and the fewest from the Primorsko-notranjska region and the Posavska region; - Most of the respondents were married, or those who lived in an another kind of cohabitation, followed by widows; - Sexuality is more important to those respondents who have received non-violent and democratic education and least important to those who have received violent education; - The sexual activity of the respondents differs statistically significantly depending on the members of the household, most of the respondents who live with their grandchildren state that they are not sexually active, followed by the respondents who live with their children, - Sexuality is important for both atheists and Catholics, but least of all for Orthodox believers; - There is a low correlation between current health status and satisfaction with sex life, suggesting that better health is associated with greater sexual satisfaction, older adults who rate their health as very good or excellent are significantly more sexually active; - Satisfactory sexuality, regardless of age, means a healthy life, although on average they agreed the most that the older adults to talk about sex, and the least that the sexuality of the older adults is sinful and dirty, they maintain sex, most respondents have sex 1 to 3 times a month; - By gender, women are more likely to be sexually active 1-3 times a month compared to men, while men are more likely to have sex more than 3 times a month compared to women, - We found that the importance of sexuality differs statistically significantly depending on the education of the respondents (the importance of sexuality increases with higher education); - There are statistically significant differences between the sexes in the perception of the importance of sexuality-sexuality is on average more important for men than for women; - Basic aspects of sexuality, such as: trust, respect and tenderness, are equally important for all respondents; - Most of the sexual concerns are not shared with anyone, followed by her partner, gynecologist, social gerontologist and nurse; - Individuals who have more knowledge about sexuality report greater sexual satisfaction. - (The positive correlation between sexual satisfaction and knowledge supports the idea that supportiveness and awareness contribute to better sexual satisfaction outcomes). - In terms of educational content, respondents expressed the greatest interest in thematic areas such as meno- and andropause, while the least interest was in the field of sexual and reproductive organs; - The first two topics are closely related to the physiological and physical changes that occur in old age, including changes in the field of sexuality (in contrast, the field is often burdened with the belief that older people are not sexually active, which leads to the erroneous assumption that they cannot contract sexually transmitted infections. - The research highlights the importance of understanding sexuality as a key element of older adults' quality of life, revealing its many connections that affect sexual satisfaction; - The results confirm the need for a holistic approach to promoting sexual health and satisfaction in older years, where education and the reduction of social and cultural taboos are key ingredients; - On this basis, we have developed the conceptual Model of Integrated Sexual Health Promotion Education for Older Adults (55+), which can enable older adults to restore or improve sexual function, because it includes complex holistic solutions that we want to be available directly and without referral to the entire older population. - A holistic approach to sexual health care for older adults (55+) that brings together several key stakeholders working together to provide a more humane, complex and holistic approach to sexual health for older adults (55+). - we focused on needs and realistic expectations that are consistent with the current situation and important for sexual satisfaction; - the model also takes into account the acceptance of age limits, allows finding solutions and maintaining intimacy even in the later years of life; - we were based on the WHO recommendations for safe sex life or health and adapted them for the area of older adults; - on primary health care level, with the help of a - developed integral model of quality sexual health care for older adults (55+), we enable the restoration or improvement of sexual function, it includes complex holistic solutions that we want to be available directly and without referral to the entire elderly population. - enables the expansion of guidelines within the primary level of Referral Outpatient Clinics, Health Promotion Centers, Centers for Adult Mental Disorders, Family Medicine Outpatient Clinics, Physiotherapy, Community Care, Urology Outpatient Clinics and Outpatient Clinics for Sexual Disorders; - By expanding the model within the primary level network and later the participation of an interdisciplinary professional team (doctor, registered nurse, social gerontologist, physiotherapist, kinesiologist, dietician, psychologist, sociologist, etc.), we enable individual as a group treatment and thus enable individuals to gain insight into potential problems; - encourage them to develop a positive outlook on sexuality and choose appropriate lifestyle habits; - We influence the improvement of the quality of sexual life of the elderly population. - The starting points are also important for strengthening knowledge and improving communication between public health institutions, health professionals, educators, policymakers, in the context of efforts to address the sexual health of older adults (55+) or sexual health care of older adults; - More sexual education programs for older adults, more open conversations about sexual issues, leads to an improvement in the sex life and overall well-being of older adults; - It can have a significant impact on future generations (so that they will not be afraid of age and the changes (including in the sexual area) that it brings before they face it. SOME CONCLUSIONS - The mentality that people's sex life does not belong in old age is the biggest obstacle to sex life in old age. - As a society, we must accept that sexuality is not limited by age and that the upper age limit for sexual activity is not set by society, but is set by each individual on the basis of their desires and abilities; - With an appropriate approach to older adults' sexuality that does not limit their desires or set strict boundaries, we can contribute to creating a more open, positive and safe environment for sexual health. - Tackling stigma, providing adequate information and improving access to health and psychosocial services for older people remains a key challenge.