Sexual intimacy among residents not unusual in nursing homes
December 22nd, 2008 by Jennifer Walker-Journey
Most people don’t want to even think that their parents have having sex – much less their grandparents. However, researchers from Kansas State say that physical and sexual intimacy is alive and well in many nursing homes and caregivers should be trained on how to handle situations that arise, according to The Hays Daily News.
Working off of a grant from the Kansas Department of Aging, researchers trained staff at three Kansas nursing homes on what sexuality means to older adults, identifying barriers to fulfilling the sexual needs, finding strategies to help residents and how to discern appropriate from inappropriate sexual behaviors. That includes identifying the root of the patients’ needs – be it sexual desire or simply loneliness – and also understanding if a sexual overture or relationship involves abuse or is borne of real need.
“It wasn’t like we hadn’t cared for these needs in the past, but it was liberating to some folks to have an open discussion with university researchers,” says Lillian Claassen, vice president of health services at one of the homes that received training. “It empowered people to think about how they could help folks.”
Advocates say that sex education in nursing homes will become more important as more baby boomers age and need skilled care. The researchers say that guidelines need to be in place to ensure that sexuality in nursing homes is dealt with in a positive way.
“The ultimate goal should be to value the desires and needs of people who have lived long, productive lives and do not forfeit their rights simply because they have aged,” says Robin Dessel, a national expert on dementia, in the report.