By Bob Gregory
Most children do not like to think about their parents
having sex let alone discuss their parent’s sex life with them! Your elderly parent may continue to have
sexual desires and wish to continue sexual activities assuming they are
fortunate enough to be healthy enough to still enjoy a sex life. Moving to a
Senior Facility such as an Assisted Living Facility or even a Nursing home does
not mean sexual activities cannot continue.
It is not uncommon for healthy residents to date or have sexual
relations with other residents. Some may
date or have intimate relations with non-residents that visit them. Remember, this is just a different residence
for them and not the end of activities, sexual or otherwise, that they
enjoy! In most cases, you should mind
your own business unless there is an issue with their activities that causes
concern for the Senior Facility.
Sexual relationships in a Senior Facility are similar to those
of individuals that live independently and should follow the same common
courtesies with a few additional considerations:
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| Affectionate old couple with the wife holding on lovingly to the husband's face. Focus on the husband's eyes. Concept: Elderly love. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
- Both people should be healthy enough to engage in sexual activities.
- The couple should limit their activities to the privacy of their personal living quarters.
- Their activities should not be in violation of the Sexual Policy they may have agreed to when moving to the Senior Facility. Not many Assisted Living Facilities have a Sexual Policy but more are beginning to adopt them.
There may be circumstances that you and the Senior Facility
may need to intervene:
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| sweet old kiss (Photo credit: dark_ghetto28) |
- If the sexual conduct is considered as Sexual Harassment. This may include unwelcomed advances toward staff, residents or visitors.
- If one of the participants is not healthy enough for sex or it may endanger their life.
- If there is a memory condition of one of the participants. With certain memory conditions such as Dementia or Alzheimer’s, one or both of the participants may not realize what they are doing or recognize the person they are having sexual relations. The opportunity for someone to take advantage of another because of a memory condition is serious and needs attention.
- If the act is considered abusive. Continued unwanted touching can be considered sexual abuse.
If you get a call from the Senior Facility regarding sexual
activities of your elder parent, take the matter seriously as your parent may
be asked to leave! Generally, a Senior
Facility will not intervene in healthy consensual sexual relationships that are
confined to the resident’s private quarters.
If you have concerns about your parent’s sexual activities because of
physical or mental health issues, be sure and discuss them with your parent’s
caregivers and their doctors. Otherwise,
respect your parent’s privacy and good fortune to still be vibrant and sexually
active. Human contact and emotional
connections are important for all of us but they are even more important for
elderly people who can often feel alone and abandoned.
If you find you need an Assisted Living Facility, Nursing
Home or any other type of Senior Facility, I hope you will consider www.seniorfacilityfinder.com. To learn more about our services, please visit
| www.seniorfacilitymarketing.com |
If you would like to contribute your thoughts and ideas,
please leave them in our comment section. We want to hear them. Helping people
care for themselves or their loved ones is what we care about.
We look forward to reading yours.
Bob Gregory is an advocate
for Seniors and is one of the founders of www.seniorfacilityfinder.com. At SeniorFacilityFinder.com, we are dedicated
to helping families get the Elder Care help they need without having to provide
their personal information! If find you need an assisted living facility or
other type of senior facility, please consider www.seniorfacilityfinder.com
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