Intimacy between care home residents with dementia: Findings from a review of the literature

Wiskerke, Esther; Manthorpe, Jill

doi:10.1177/1471301216659771

Cited by 11 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 72 publications

(77 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Following the literature review (see Wiskerke & Manthorpe, 2016) the following research question was developed: what are the views of relatives and care workers of new relationships or sexual intimacy between care home residents with dementia, whilst married to their spouse? Full ethical approval was granted in 2015 by King's College London.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A recent literature review investigated this subject and sought details of studies that had compared relatives and care workers' views (Wiskerke & Manthorpe, 2016). While some studies have explored the views of relatives (Bauer et al, 2014), greater number of studies have reported the views of care workers (Archibald, 1998;Ehrenfeld, Tabak, Bronner, & Bergman, 1997;Tzeng et al, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

New relationships and intimacy in long-term care: The views of relatives of residents with dementia and care home staff

Wiskerke¹,

Manthorpe

2016

Dementia

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background There is limited research on what family members and frontline care home staff consider to be the best responses to the sexual expression of a person with dementia, whilst at the same time respecting relatives' feelings, managing their possible distress and conflict. Methods This exploratory study investigated the views of relatives and care workers of new relationships or sexual intimacy between care home residents with dementia, whilst still married to another person. It reports the themes that emerged in qualitative interviews with eight relatives of people with dementia and with 12 frontline care home staff working in two English care homes. Interviews took place in 2015 using a hypothetical vignette that unfolded in four stages. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Findings The views of care home staff and relatives had similarities in general terms regarding the problems arising around expressions of sexuality in care homes: indicting that a light-hearted or non-physical connection between residents is deemed acceptable, but the moment it becomes a sexual relationship then decision making becomes more complicated. Staff were inclined to turn to managers for advice and to consider separating residents. They expressed familiarity with distracting residents from situations that were of concern. Relatives were considerate of the difficulties and dilemmas faced by care home staff. Conclusion The use of a vignette facilitated discussion of a potentially sensitive topic. Areas for further research are identified.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

New relationships and intimacy in long-term care: The views of relatives of residents with dementia and care home staff

Wiskerke¹,

Manthorpe

2016

Dementia

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Resource material and studies in the Indian context are however lacking, and would be of considerable importance in shaping policies. 13,15 Sexual Abuse in Dementia Elder abuse was defined by the WHO in 2002 as "a single, or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust which causes harm or distress to an older person." 40 Sexual violence was further defined by the WHO in 2011 as "any sexual act, attempt to obtain a sexual act, unwanted sexual comments or advances, or acts to traffic or otherwise directed against a person's sexuality using coercion, by any person regardless of their relationship to the victim, in any setting, including but not limited to home and work."…”

Section: Sexuality and Residential Carementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The formation of new relationships in persons with dementia is often of greater concern than a preexisting relationship because it raises the question of consent, as discussed above. 15…”

Section: Dementia and The Formation Of A New Relationshipmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Expression of Intimacy and Sexuality in Persons With Dementia

D’cruz

Andrade

Rao

2020

Journal of Psychosexual Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Sexuality in dementia is infrequently addressed. Dementia is characterized by a progressive deterioration in all domains of functioning, including loss of sexual function. However, the diagnosis of dementia does not mean an immediate or complete cessation of sexuality in the person, or a loss of the ability to consent to sexual activity with a partner. A discussion of sexuality in dementia occurs infrequently in clinical care for several reasons. These include (a) a discomfort in discussing sexuality in older adults, (b) the fear of causing social or cultural offense, and (c) the assumption that the cessation of the reproductive period implies the end of sexual life in older adults. There is also a tendency to focus on the preservation of cognition and independence, with relative neglect of the need for physical and emotional intimacy or quality of life. Patients with dementia are more likely to be sexually active than not. The most common change is a lack or loss or sexual desire. Inappropriate sexual behaviors occur in a minority of patients (28%) and can be usually managed with behavioral measures, with the use of pharmacotherapy for symptomatic management in refractory cases. Other clinical and ethical concerns in dementia include the capacity to consent to sexual intimacy, the formation of new relationships, sexuality in long-term residential facilities, and vulnerability to sexual abuse. Dementia care guidelines recommend a low threshold of suspicion for abuse, with a focus on patient safety. These must, however, be counterweighed by respect for patient autonomy and wishes.

show abstract

“…There are other issues that need to be considered, such as sexual functioning in sexual and gender minorities 34 in older adults. The nature of consent to sexual intimacy in older adults with cognitive impairment and in long-term care facilities 35 also merit discussion. These have not been addressed because they were considered to be out of the scope of the present discussion.…”

Section: Other Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nosology of the Sexual Dysfunctions: Are They Appropriate to Older Adults?

D’cruz

Andrade

2020

Journal of Psychosexual Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision ( ICD-10), describes sexual dysfunction on the basis of the inability of the individual to participate in a sexual relationship. On the other hand, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fifth Edition) ( DSM-5) describes it as the inability to respond sexually or experience sexual pleasure. Neither diagnostic manual addresses age as a contextual factor in sexual response, though DSM-5 notes that aging may be associated with a normative decrease in sexual response. In this review, we argue that the diagnosis of sexual dysfunction in the elderly should be based on age-related expectations. As examples, in older women, diagnostic criteria should factor in the considerations that vaginal dryness is associated with genital pain on penetration and with anorgasmia, as components of the genitourinary syndrome of menopause. In older men, the criteria for rigidity of erection and time to ejaculation may be unduly stringent and are not calibrated to changes in autonomic function with age. The lack of consideration of aging physiology in diagnostic systems and the predominance of ageist stereotypes restrict the validity of diagnoses of sexual dysfunction in older adults; there is the possibility of both under and over diagnosis, based upon the attribution models of the patient and the clinician. Age sensitivity during medical training would help reduce ageist stereotyping in clinical practice. Sexual health education in older adults would help familiarize them with and relieve distress related to body changes that may be distressing and that may impact their quality of sexual life.

show abstract

Intimacy between care home residents with dementia: Findings from a review of the literature

Cited by 11 publications

References 72 publications

New relationships and intimacy in long-term care: The views of relatives of residents with dementia and care home staff

New relationships and intimacy in long-term care: The views of relatives of residents with dementia and care home staff

The Expression of Intimacy and Sexuality in Persons With Dementia

Nosology of the Sexual Dysfunctions: Are They Appropriate to Older Adults?

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About