|
120 YEARS CLUB
Sexual relations and the elderly
BY JOAQUIN ORAMAS
THE
elderly can continue to have meaningful and
enjoyable sexual experiences, according to a study
on the sexual activities of this sector of the
population by Cibeles Lorenzo Viego from the José
Martí University Center in Sancti Spíritus province.
The research included 90 individuals aged 60-plus
years, who are patients at the No. 24 Family Medical
Practice in the Taguasco municipality, in the
above-mentioned province. The research concludes
that within the group of persons aged 60-74, retired
men and women, housewives and members of extended
families, stable partners predominated.
Although most of the elderly stated that they lacked
privacy for relationships, it was remarkable that
over half of those interviewed affirmed that they
had pleasurable, normal and active sexual relations.
The research highlights the incorrect association
between sexuality and reproduction, in which only
sexual activity during the reproductive stage is
considered normal, and that therefore older adults
have no reason or need to engage in such
activities.
The study notes that there are mistaken concepts
that propose that sexual activity should cease in
old age, as if there is an inevitable and
physiological automatic switching off, and therefore
to desire to or to engage in sexual relations after
the age of 60 is unnatural, non-physiological,
immoral, and socially unacceptable.
Hence, this idea of sexual death can become a source
of anxiety for both sexes when old age arrives or is
approaching, which in turn causes sexual dysfunction
of a purely psychological nature, the study adds.
Current research has shown that sexual activity
among older adults is influenced by prejudices that
can even cause its disappearance, and that older
people need to be aware of this. In this regard,
Lorenzo Viego considers that this is the primary
reason for sexual abstinence in couples, especially
the women.
On this point, he noted that there is a greater
likelihood that women will be widows and since
society does not approve of elderly women looking
for new partners after they are widowed, they end up
abandoning any sexual activity. He insists that
deterioration in marital relations and mental and
physical illnesses can also cause a loss of sexual
appetite.
Aging in itself is a physiological process, which
does not resemble an illness. The more you care for
yourself in your youth, the less you drink or smoke,
without going to extremes, the more physical
exercise you engage in, the greater the chance that
you will remain sexually active. If you have also
enjoyed an active and regular sex life, you will be
less likely to suffer from physiological problems
affecting your sexual performance, he affirmed,
adding:
“Old age there is greater sexual experience, more
understanding and interaction between couples, more
tenderness and wisdom. Given that your awareness of
reality is heightened at this stage of life, you are
more accepting of what you can and cannot do in
relation to sex, thus eroticism is fortified in
comparison to the sexual act per se, with a greater
closeness between the couple. Since reproductive
concerns are no longer present, sexual activity
during this stage in life becomes all about giving
and receiving pleasure.”
Finally, he adds that it is not a utopia to talk
about sexuality in old age, but an unquestionable
truth because, as the quality of life for the
elderly improves, why should it not be possible for
those who wish to live to be 120 years old to be
able to engage in sexual activities in an enriching,
pleasant and responsible manner.
|
