Sexuality and Intimacy Behaviors in the Elderly with Dementia: The Perspective of Healthcare Professionals and Caregivers

Pinho, Sarah; Pereira, Henrique

doi:10.1007/s11195-019-09589-0

Cited by 12 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…When persons with dementia are recognized as sexually active, their intimate sexual relationships are then validated, and the scope of research can develop to consider how couples negotiate these relationships after the diagnosis. More recent research seeks to understand the congruent and divergent experiences of sexuality and intimacy more fully among couples living with Alzheimer’s and the challenges and changes they face (Pinho & Pereira, 2019; Youell, Callaghan & Buchanan, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dementia and its impacts on the intimate, sexual couple relationship: A systematic review of qualitative research studies

2022

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Objective There is growing evidence for the need to recognize persons with dementia as sexual beings who wish to continue expressing their sexuality, including within their couple relationship. The aim of this literature review was to investigate empirical qualitative studies that examined sexuality and sexual intimacy in the couple relationship when one spouse has dementia. Method A systematic literature review was performed in January 2021, five data bases were searched: Pubmed, MedLine, Lilacs, Scopus, and SciELO. The references of articles included in the review were screened together with the references of other relevant reviews. Results Nine studies were identified that investigated sexuality and sexual intimacy from the perspective of the couple living with dementia or from the perspective of the spouse. The analysis identified four key themes: addressing dementia and sexuality; challenges to maintaining sexuality within the couple relationship; forms of sexual expression; and the desire to be seen as a sexual being. Conclusion Despite evidence of the importance of sexuality in later life and the positive effects it has on the quality of the couple relationship, research has identified the difficulty of destigmatizing sexuality and older persons, particularly when considering couples affected by dementia. Further research is required to better understand how living with the illness impacts sexual expression and the intimacy of the couple relationship.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dementia and its impacts on the intimate, sexual couple relationship: A systematic review of qualitative research studies

2022

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“…They prioritized the person with dementia's ability to retain a sense of autonomy (Brazil et al, 2018;Cole et al, 2018). Indeed, several studies indicated that caregivers believed the ability of the person with dementia to engage in safe sexual expression was an important demonstration of human behavior and valuable to maintaining their quality of life (Bauer et al, 2014;Pinho & Pereira, 2019). Aside from the emotional implications on the caregiver, this topic was logistically challenging due to uncertainty regarding the person with dementia's ability to consent (Wiskerke & Manthorpe, 2018).…”

Section: Staff and Person With Dementia (N = 36 Articles)mentioning

confidence: 99%

The experiences, priorities, and perceptions of informal caregivers of people with dementia in nursing homes: A scoping review

et al. 2021

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Background Person-centered care has been shown to increase desired outcomes for people with dementia, yet informal caregivers’ dissatisfaction with care is often reported. For those living in a nursing home, informal caregivers are uniquely situated to provide key insights into the individual’s care. However, little is known of the informal caregivers’ perspective, which hinders efforts to improve their satisfaction with person-centered nursing home care. Thus, we examined the comprehensive experiences, priorities, and perceptions of informal caregivers of nursing home residents with dementia. Methods In collaboration with stakeholders, a scoping review of Medline (Ovid), EMBASE.com , CINAHL (EBSCO), the Cochrane Library (Wiley), and PsycINFO (Ovid) databases from January 2000 to July 2020 was conducted. Data were extracted reflecting the experiences, priorities, and preferences of caregivers of people with dementia residing in nursing homes. Results We identified 114 articles that revealed nine themes: (1) communication, (2) transition to nursing home, (3) quality of care, (4) quality of life, (5) informal caregiver role, (6) knowledge of dementia, (7) end-of-life preferences, (8) medication use to manage neuropsychiatric behaviors, and (9) finances. Conclusion Informal caregivers described aspects of care that led to both positive and negative experiences with and perceptions of nursing home care. The shortcomings in communication were discussed most frequently, indicating a high priority area. While researchers define the identified themes individually, informal caregivers perceive them to be interwoven as they relate to person-centered care delivery. Although we did not assess the quality of included articles, by identifying themes relevant to caregivers’ perspectives of nursing home care, our findings may help to inform efforts to optimize caregivers’ satisfaction with nursing home care for residents with dementia.

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“…This review found that healthcare professionals generally had positive attitudes (Evangelista, et al, 2019;Mahieu, et al, 2016;Mahieu, et al, 2013). Although some healthcare professionals considered sexuality in older people as a natural, physiological need which promotes happiness and quality of life, some found it confronting, challenging and difficult to accept and acknowledged in care provision (Pinho & Pereira, 2019). The balance between supporting residents' sexual intimate expression and residents' rights and autonomy is an ongoing challenge, particularly, for nursing homes (Heron & Taylor, 2009).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Exclusion criteria were: (1) studies including non-registered professionals (e.g., massage therapists, personal care workers, nursing assistants/aids); (2) studies that focused specifically on non-psychosocial aspects of older people's sexuality (i.e., sexual health assessment, sexual function and sexually transmitted diseases) as sexuality and intimacy are considered more important than the sexual act in older age which allows older people to express and receive love/affection and feel closeness from spouse/partners, family and others(Pinho & Pereira, 2019); (3) studies investigating or developing assessment tools and (4) non-original research such as reviews, opinion papers, letters, theses, commentaries, editorials, discussion documents, notes and conference proceedings.…”

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confidence: 99%

Assessment of health-care professionals’ knowledge and attitudes on sexuality and aging: an integrative review

Chen

Jones

Bannatyne

2020

Educational Gerontology

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Aim:To establish an understanding of (a) healthcare professionals' knowledge and attitudes; and (b) tools used to assess sexuality in older people living with/(out) dementia and those identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans or intersex (LGBTI) individuals. Design:Integrative review of the literature as registered on the PROSPERO international Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (CRD42019129589). Data sources: A comprehensive and systematic literature search was conducted for the period from 2009 to 2019 across eight electronic databases; CINAHL, PubMed, MEDLINE, Web of Science, Cochrane library, Embase, PsycINFO and Scopus, together with a manual search of reference lists.Review Methods: Screening of titles, abstracts and full texts of eligible studies plus quality appraisal (using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool) were independently conducted by two reviewers with disagreements resolved via discussion with a third reviewer.Results: Nineteen articles were reviewed with three themes identified from the synthesis: 1) varying knowledge and attitudes amongst healthcare professionals; 2) needs for professional development opportunities and support from workplace and 3) lack of recent validated tools to assess knowledge and attitudes. Conclusion:Healthcare professionals' knowledge and attitudes towards sexuality in older people living with/(out) dementia and those identified as LGBTI individuals are varying.Sexuality education and professional development training are needed to enhance their knowledge and attitudes and build skills in order to manage sexuality concerns. Current assessment tools are inadequate, highlighting the need for an appropriate assessment tool development to be developed.

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Sexuality and Intimacy Behaviors in the Elderly with Dementia: The Perspective of Healthcare Professionals and Caregivers

Cited by 12 publications

References 33 publications

Dementia and its impacts on the intimate, sexual couple relationship: A systematic review of qualitative research studies

Dementia and its impacts on the intimate, sexual couple relationship: A systematic review of qualitative research studies

The experiences, priorities, and perceptions of informal caregivers of people with dementia in nursing homes: A scoping review

Assessment of health-care professionals’ knowledge and attitudes on sexuality and aging: an integrative review

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