Aging and Sexual Health

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Studies show that orgasms help relieve pain, reduce stress, and improve sleep. Older adults often have trouble with sleep, so this is a line of defense that can be helpful for clients who are having issues with this. Older adults are in fact not asexual contrary to popular belief, and they deserve the health benefits that sex brings just like anyone else. Both men and women experience sexual decline due to aging, and education can be an important line of defense to make people feel normal. Intercourse is usually 4-7 minutes but women take 7-14 minutes longer than men to reach orgasm. Sex can feel more like a task or power struggle for women who are waiting for their biological drive to kick in. Sex is an important occupation, and education on this with clients with sexual problems can make them feel normal. For women, we should educate on not waiting for a biological drive at the start to engage. For men, we should educate on being less of a perfectionist and more open to different sexual experiences as they age. 

A group intervention could be sexual education for a group of men with sexual dysfunction. Men are more likely than women in a long term relationship after 50 to stop having sex. Education on this is important to give strategies and tips about creative ways to have sex and demystify erectile dysfunction. Giving men an outlet to talk about this in a group can bring light to a subject a lot of people do not talk about. 


An individual intervention would be education for a woman with body issues due to obesity, aging, SCI, or any body changes. The PLISSIT model, CBT, and education would be important in this intervention. Education on how sexuality is a spectrum and sex does not always look like vaginal penetration could be used. Videos, books, thought stopping, education, and other handouts could be used to address their occupation of sex. 

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