Promotion of sexual health among seniors in the self-help media realm of popular culture

Abstract

The issue of seniors' sexuality, especially the aspect of sexual activity undertaken by people considered "old" is usually met with silence or even condemned. The stereotypical assumptions are that with age a person's needs associated with feeling and realizing their own sexuality dissipate, and seniors are perceived as asexual beings.Only in the last decades of the XX century did this area of "taboo" become the subject of in-depth scientific interest and research. The average life span is increasing, and as research shows, so is the number of people who are sexually active and satisfied with intercourse at an elderly age. For hundreds of years, in Western culture, sexual health was equated with reproductive ability. The contemporary concept of health emphasizes that it is a value which allows a person to realize aspirations regardless of age.This article focuses on the content of guides which bring up the importance of seniors' sexual health. The aestheticization characteristic of the late modern period forces a deconstruction of the concept of old age. In the rhetoric of the everyday and the narcissistic style of the realm of experts, experiencing old age simultaneously becomes a source of pleasure, as well as frustration on the road to an individual's self-realization and self-creation.

Validation of educational booklet for HIV/Aids prevention in older adults

“…The high number of elderly people infected with HIV is due to several factors: increased life expectancy, availability of pharmacological alternatives for erectile dysfunction and for hormone replacement, physical and psychological vulnerability; and due to other types of exposure to HIV, in addition to the sexual, such as blood transfusion, illicit drug use and increase of the survival rate of people living with HIV/Aids (6)(7) . However, there are still taboos regarding the sexuality of older adults, which can contribute to the increase in Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIS) such as HIV/Aids (8) . Many older adults are skeptic in what concerns the risk of HIV infection, because they believe that it is only likely in people who lead a promiscuous life.…”

A phenomenological study of romantic love for women in late life

“…These challenges include how to meet suitable partners, how to date in the 21st century, how to make commitments, and how to maintain commitments begun in late life (Bieńko, 2015). While Internet dating increases the possibility of meeting potential mates (Barusch, 2008), older adults often prefer to meet potential partners through friends, family, social groups, church activities, and volunteer opportunities.…”

“…Once a potential partner has been found, aging adults choose from a variety of commitment arrangements including marriage, live-in relationships without marriage, or even living apart from one another (Barusch, 2008;Bieńko, 2015). A number of factors determine the nature of commitment in these relationships such as financial concerns, opinions of adult children and grandchildren, partner histories, cultural and religious norms, personalities, and end-of-life arrangements.…”