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Recent studies suggest that the majority of older men and women maintain moderate or high levels of sexual interest well into their 70s but often experience sexual dysfunction. Given the burgeoning of the older adult population, psychologists are increasingly likely to find older patients in their practice with questions or concerns about sexuality. The goal of this article is to provide psychologists with current information regarding sexuality and aging, including general prevalence data, age-related biological changes (e.g., menopause), incontinence, erectile dysfunction, prostate changes, male performanceenhancing drugs (e.g., Viagra), medications' sexual side effects, and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS. Practice guidelines endorse a biopsychosocial perspective, in which stereotypes, gender, partner availability, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, religious beliefs, and sexual orientation are examined. Clinicians' potentially negative countertransference also should be recognized and worked through. Case examples illustrate many of these concepts, and directions for future research and patient care are offered.

More than two million Americans live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. Available research suggests that the majority of older nursing home residents, including those with some degree of cognitive impairment, place significant value upon a variety of sexual activities. With nearly half of all residents suffering from dementia, psychologists and other mental health professionals often face significant challenges in the assessment of their patients' sexual consent capacity. A primary ethical issue is to balance an individual resident's rights to autonomy and privacy with a facility's need to protect residents from harm. Sexual consent capacity functions on a continuum across time and behavior. It also cannot be predetermined by proxy, in which an individual prepares legal documents ahead of time to identify a surrogate decision maker; sexual consent capacity must be determined by information obtained in the present moment. In this paper, an approach to the assessment of residents' sexual consent capacity, encompassing knowledge, reasoning, and voluntariness, along with a brief overview of sexual activity among long-term care residents, will be presented. A case example is offered to illustrate complex clinical dilemmas involving staff attitudes, residents' rights, and family dynamics.

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Although older women face unique risks related to HIV/ AIDS, little empirical data is available regarding HIV/AIDS among women over the age of 65. In the present study, 160 community-living older women and men completed questionnaires regarding knowledge and attitudes about HIV/AIDS. Findings showed that although older women were less likely to talk to their physician about HIV than men, they maintained greater knowledge and generally dispelled myths about viral transmission. However, most older women believed that HIV/AIDS had limited personal relevance, possessed virtually no knowledge of age and gender specific risk factors, and professed HIV-associated stigma. These findings highlight the need for gender and age specific prevention programs.