They also note that the biological changes associated with aging are less pronounced and sexuality is less affected if sexual activity is constant throughout life. Her experience bolsters experts' contention that patterns of sexuality are set earlier in life. Her mastectomy two years ago after contracting breast cancer hasn't changed her self-image as a sexual being, primarily because Wellborn has had a lifelong positive attitude towards sexuality. He says it's so nice to wake up next to me." So we just have sex in a different way - I don't mind at all - and we're also very affectionate. "It might be the heart medication he's taking that causes the problem, because he's a very virile man. "He wants so badly to have an erection, but it's hard for him," she says. They occasionally have sex, but mostly they enjoy each other's company, she says. We had excellent sex, and any kind, at any time of day we wanted."Īfter grieving for several years over her husband's death from Alzheimer's, Wellborn began a new relationship with a man in his 80s. That's what kept my husband alive for so long when he was sick. "I think it's as healthy as can be, in fact I know it. "Sex keeps you active and alive," says the former businesswoman. Louise Wellborn* of Atlanta, Georgia, 73, believes deeply in the benefits of good sex - at any age. By the year 2030, it is estimated that one in every five Americans will be 65 or over. In 2000, one out of ten Americans was 65 years or older, according to the US Census Bureau. With their increased numbers and a marked increase in life expectancy, older adults are now the fastest-growing segment of the US population. The topic may well lose some of its taboo status, however, as the baby boom generation enters its later years. "This attitude creates a block to many seniors who want to be sexually active," he told reporters. Jack Parlow, a retired clinical psychologist in Toronto. Such judgmental attitudes prevent many older people from moving in with each other or even having their partner over, according to the late Dr. The more intimate the connection, the more powerful the effects."īut older people may encounter an obstacle they hadn't expected: their adult children, who may be less than pleased to see their aging parents as sexual beings. "There's strong data all over: It's a matter of survival," says Dr. A Duke University study shows that some 20 percent of people over 65 have sex lives that are better than ever before, he adds.Īnd although not everyone wants or needs an active sex life, many people continue to be sexual all their lives. "If you stay interested, stay healthy, stay off medications, and have a good mate, then you can have good sex all the way to the end of life," he says. Bortz, a professor at Stanford Medical School, is past president of the American Geriatrics Society and former co-chair of the American Medical Association's Task Force on Aging. Bortz, author of three books on healthy aging as well as several studies on seniors' sexuality.
"Use it or lose it," says geriatrics expert Walter M.
While the frequency or ability to perform sexually will generally decline modestly as seniors experience the normal physiological changes that accompany aging, reports show that the majority of men and women between the ages of 50 and 80 are still enthusiastic about sex and intimacy. Sanders, PhD, a senior scientist at the sexual research group The Kinsey Institute at Indiana University. "There is no age limit on sexuality and sexual activity," reports Stephanie A. The silence, say experts, allows misconceptions to flourish - including the widespread assumption that seniors lose interest in sex and are, or should be, asexual.īut armed with a spate of studies that help dispel the myth that older people don't have sex or enjoy it, experts say the negative stereotypes couldn't be farther from the truth. So sexual intimacy among older Americans is a subject that people don't talk about much. Sex is identified with reproduction, youthful attractiveness, and power - and most young and even middle-aged people do not want to confront the inevitability of growing old. These commonly used terms speak volumes about how society views older people who are interested in sex.Įxperts say such derogatory labels reflect a deep level of discomfort in our youth-oriented culture with the idea that seniors are sexually active.