Venkat Raman –
venkat@indiannewslink.co.nz
Age does not always diminish the sexual desire but the society thinks otherwise and people in aged care facilities are left uncared in this aspect, sociologists say.
On the other hand, management and staff at these facilities often do not know how to manage the elderly under their care, the sociologists add.
Massey University have completed a pilot study that determined the attitudes towards sexuality in aged residential care facilities, highlighting the need for better understanding of the intimacy needs of the elderly.
Massey University School of Social Work Lead Researcher Associate Professor Mark Henrickson and School of Nursing Senior Lecturer Dr Catherine Cook hope to extend their study, which demonstrated that a significant number of staff, families and residents are managing complex situations without clear processes to protect the rights and safety of their residents.
The feasibility study was carried out at a single residential facility in an urban area, as a pre-cursor to a large national study, pending research funding.
Complex dilemmas
Dr Cook said that with little or no education or guidelines in place, nursing and other staff generally use their own judgment, based on their own moral code rather than focusing on residents’ sexual rights.
“They are managing the situation as best they can, but when dilemmas become complex, the staff do not know what to do. Intimacy and sexuality in aged care is complicated. There is for instance the issue of cognitive decline and trying to work out if a person can take their own intimacy decisions, and if not, who should be making for them? Adult children, although often excellent advocates for their ageing parents in all other respects, may be very unsettled with sexuality-related issues,” she said.
Dr Cook said that residential aged care facilities are people’s homes and yet there is a lack of true privacy in many facilities. This lack of privacy means that behaviours, such as masturbation may be readily interpreted by staff as inappropriate, because staff may lose sight of the understanding that this is a person’s home.
“Adult children may be embarrassed about a parent’s long-standing preferences of which they had no previous knowledge, such as cross-dressing. Adult children may insist staff put a stop to behaviours they deem ‘deviant’, and staff are torn with uncertainties, trying to juggle families’ wishes and residents’ rights, wellbeing and dignity,” Dr Cook said.
Practical problems
According to Dr Henrickson, this is not a theoretical issue.
“There was much publicity about a case in Iowa in the USA last year which went to trial because a husband was accused of being sexually intimate with his wife, who was living with dementia in a residential facility, and residence staff were concerned about her ability to consent.
“What we also know from listening to facility staff around the country is that many facilities are now enabling access to sex workers for some of their residents, although no one is willing to talk about this openly. There remains a great deal of secrecy and shame about issues of intimacy and sexuality, although they are essential aspects of every person’s life, regardless of how young or old they are,” he said.
Ageism an issue
Dr Cook said that the issue of ageism is also evident.
“Sexuality is very much linked to youth and beauty. Popular media has a growing number of representations of beautiful older people being sexually active and intimate; those who have retained youthful attributes,” she said and asked, “What about the people whose bodies have changed in appearance and whose minds have aged, but they may still have the same sexual desires?”
She cited a study participant who talked about two residents living with dementia.
Both are in their late 80s, and had found intimate companionship.
“The woman had been widowed, and her daughter just wanted to make sure that her mother and the elderly man were happy and safe. And they were finding great happiness with each other. It was lovely,” she said.
Editor’s Note: The above is an edited version. For full text, please visit www.massey.ac.nz
