Sexual Behaviour and Health in Older Adults PDF
Preview Sexual Behaviour and Health in Older Adults
Practical Issues in Geriatrics Series Editor: Stefania Maggi Lee Smith Igor Grabovac Editors Sexual Behaviour and Health in Older Adults Practical Issues in Geriatrics Series Editor Stefania Maggi Aging Branch CNR-Neuroscience Institute Padua, Italy This practically oriented series presents state of the art knowledge on the principal diseases encountered in older persons and addresses all aspects of management, including current multidisciplinary diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. It is intended as an educational tool that will enhance the everyday clinical practice of both young geriatricians and residents and also assist other specialists who deal with aged patients. Each volume is designed to provide comprehensive information on the topic that it covers, and whenever appropriate the text is complemented by additional material of high educational and practical value, including informative video-clips, standardized diagnostic flow charts and descriptive clinical cases. Practical Issues in Geriatrics will be of value to the scientific and professional community worldwide, improving understanding of the many clinical and social issues in Geriatrics and assisting in the delivery of optimal clinical care. Lee Smith • Igor Grabovac Editors Sexual Behaviour and Health in Older Adults Editors Lee Smith Igor Grabovac Center for Health Performance and Department of Social and Preventive Wellbeing Medicine Anglia Ruskin University Centre for Public Health, Medical Cambridge, UK University of Vienna Vienna, Austria ISSN 2509-6060 ISSN 2509-6079 (electronic) Practical Issues in Geriatrics ISBN 978-3-031-21028-0 ISBN 978-3-031-21029-7 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-21029-7 © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recita- tion, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or infor- mation storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publica- tion does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland Preface Aging is a global phenomenon. It has been well established that the population of persons over 60 years of age is rapidly growing, making this age group the fastest growing population worldwide. However, longer life expectancy does not also mean that people are living healthier lives. This is seen as a rise in prevalence of chronic diseases as well as neurocognitive issues such as dementia. Overall, years spent in good health have stayed relatively constant, meaning that the additional years gained by the rise in life expectancy are spent in poor health. Therefore, the focus of health practitioners as well as policy makers should turn to health promoting and preventive interventions focusing on improving physical, mental, and social health with an emphasis on healthy aging. This also needs to include sexual health and well-being. It is a common misconception that older adults do not engage in sexual activities. However, epidemiological studies, including analyses of various nationally repre- sentative data, show that older adults engage in sexual activities on a regular basis. What does change with aging is the frequency of sexual activities and activities performed, with shared intimacy including kissing, petting, and mutual masturba- tion being more common than oral, vaginal, or anal intercourse. More common knowledge is that of physical, mental, and social health influencing sexual activity in older adults; however less research is done to show if and how sexual activities influence health. Emerging research in this field indicates that sexual activities have a wide variety of positive effects on the health and well-being of older adults. This book is primarily aimed at specialists in geriatrics and all those interested in gerontology and working with older adults. Additionally, it would be of interest to all healthcare professionals working with older adults, as well as those doing research in aging and sexual health. The book is comprised of 15 chapters which showcase how vibrant and active the fields of sexual health and geriatrics are con- firming that good work in these fields is only possible through multidisciplinary approaches. This book has been achieved by a group of coauthors from a variety of fields including general medicine, geriatrics and gerontology, psychology, public health, nursing, occupational therapy, social science, sport and nutritional science. The chapters cover a variety of issues from epidemiological analyses and aging in general to specifics on how health influences sexual activities and vice versa. Additionally, the book contains chapters focusing on implementation and practical work outlining barriers and facilitators for sexual activity in older adults as well as v vi Preface questions of promotion of these topics in everyday work and practical issues on communication with patients. What has been a common theme throughout the book is the lack of research in this field, given the misconceptions and assumptions of asexuality in older adults. It is our hope that the first edition of this book provides an overview of the topic and inspires a new generation of practitioners and researchers to do more projects and continue to contribute to this field. Cambridge, UK Lee Smith Vienna, Austria Igor Grabovac Acknowledgments The authors wish to thank all the coauthors, who selflessly contributed their time and expertise for this book. On a personal note, we also would like to thank our families for their constant support. Professor Lee Smith & Dr. Igor Grabovac vii Contents 1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Sandra Haider and Igor Grabovac 2 Levels and Trends of Sexual Activity in Older Adults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Guillermo F. López-Sánchez, José M. Oliva-Lozano, José M. Muyor, and Lee Smith 3 Sexual Activity and Physical Health Benefits in Older Adults . . . . . . . 15 Pinar Soysal and Esin Avsar 4 Sexual Activity and Mental Health Benefits in Older Adults . . . . . . . . 25 Tobias Schiffler, Hanna M. Mües, and Igor Grabovac 5 Sexual Activity and Psychosocial Benefits in Older Adults: Challenges and Ways Forward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Siniša Grabovac and Radhika Seiler-Ramadas 6 ‘We’re Still Here, We’re Still Queer, We’re Still Doing It’: Sex and Sexual Health in Older LGBTQ+ Adults . . . . . . . . 59 Joshua W. Katz, Lee Smith, and Daragh T. McDermott 7 Risky Sexual Activity and Its Impact on Mental and Physical Health in Older Adults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Daragh T. McDermott and Igor Grabovac 8 Lifelong Sexual Practice and Its Influence on Health in Later Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Benny Rana, Lin Yang, and Siniša Grabovac 9 Medication Use and Sexual Activity in Older Adults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 Damiano Pizzol, Petre Cristian Ilie, and Nicola Veronese 10 Barriers to Sexual Activity in Older Adults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 Nicola Veronese and Damiano Pizzol 11 Lifestyle Factors Supporting and Maintaining Sexual Activity in Older Adults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 Sandra Haider, Angela Schwarzinger, and Thomas Ernst Dorner ix x Contents 12 Promotion of Sex in Older Adults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 Hanna M. Mües, Kathrin Kirchheiner, and Igor Grabovac 13 Future Directions for Research and Practice in Sexual Health for Older Adults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 Igor Grabovac 14 Concluding Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 Igor Grabovac and Lee Smith 15 Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175 Lisa Lehner and Charlotte Rösel
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