Aging and Sexual Health

Today’s lecture provided me with a plethora of information regarding sexual health that I know I will feel more comfortable using and discussing with clients in the future. Among that variety of information, the following blog post will include my key take-aways from this lecture.

Many individuals have the tendency to assume that if their sexuality does not reflect what happens in movies or magazines, they have a problem. In reality, what most of these individuals are experiencing is normal. This is especially important when discussing this topic with both men and women. Women should realize that their process of achieving an orgasm is often times must more complex than that of a man. This is also important to explain to a man to ensure that he is not blaming his failure at achieving a woman’s “ideal” orgasm on himself, when in fact, it is just different.

We have to also recognize that as individuals grow older, they do not become asexual, but the barriers apparent for intimacy and sexual intercourse do increase. For example, high blood pressure and diabetes are two conditions that can interfere with an individual’s ability to engage in intercourse. Additionally, many medications can result in a variety of side effects negatively impacting an individual’s sexual health. While discussing the implications of OT and why an individual should manage their conditions, this is a point that could be included in the conversation. After all, that could be a large motivating factor for someone to participate if you inform them that by managing their condition, they could improve their sexual relationships and sexual health. Lastly, it is important to combine medical intervention along with a shift in thinking when dealing with sexual health.

Individual intervention: If a woman is experiencing difficulty with vaginal pain and it is interfering with her sexual health, we could perform kegel exercises to strengthen her pelvic floor muscles. These could be performed in the privacy of her room and would provide her with the skills and information to perform these exercises independently to increase her progress outside of therapy.  

Population-based intervention: informative session with a group of older women or older men (separately) at a retirement community, SNF, or senior center. This could be a session focused on how to continue having intimacy and sexual intercourse with conditions such as arthritis, osteoporosis, or joint stiffness. We could identify safe and comfortable positions for sexual intercourse to avoid placing force or causing pain to the areas affected by the condition. For example, we would identify various positions that rely on specific joint functions in order for the individuals to see which positions don’t involve their affected joints or extremities and determine which would work best for them. This would also promote a shift in thinking regarding sexual health by informing the participants that sex and intimacy do not have to follow a set of strict guidelines. Additionally, I would inform the participants of the changes in sexual function that accompany age and ways to compensate for those various changes.

Valli, J. (2019). Aging and sexual health: Intimacy over a lifetime [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from https://blackboard.uthsc.edu/webapps/blackboard/execute/content/file?cmd=view&content_id=_732315_1&course_id=_13553_1