Every time sex tops the sexual agenda, two young studs spring
into mind. It's pointless saying otherwise, for what we think of sexuality
and sex comes down to youth. Most of times, a young couple emulates our ideal of sexual intercourse.
Hardly ever a couple of elderly would be envisaged referring to sex.
So why this happens? After all, ageing signifies absence of sexuality,
of sex altogether or all the way around.
Sexuality in the best age gets left behind as neglected by modern society that
overlooks it entirely if anything.
It only leads to misinformation and misnomers for those involved in. Even the
doctors themselves avoid talking about sexuality with their elderly patients.
Knowingly, it renders dialogue even harder mainly with that elderly patient
curious about his/hers sexual life.
Individuals vary in their entire bio-psychosocial context, and that isn't anything
new. As time goes by, that too, factors of our vital-cycle would alter. And
so sexuality, much like the motto of our lives, would suffer its particularities
along the years.
Doubtless, sexual response tends to decrease with ageing, but won't
fade away unlikely what many people think. And, afterwards, if heighten degrees
of sexuality are kept from early stage, surely, no interference of none
physical impairment whether acute or chronicle. The elderly are capable of continuing
some form of sexual expression actively until around 70 and even 80 years
of age.
Even though, sexual activity has been avoided for long periods, adequate
stimulation is what counts.
Sexual responsiveness turns arbitrary, being defined by certain medical
terms. Namely, degree of sexual tension, capacity to rapport sexual affair, capacity to finish sexual intercourse with ejaculation, current
history of masturbation or nocturnal thrush.
There's a great difference between patterns of response of a middle-aged man
and those gone beyond 60's. Thus, the difference reflects on this man as the
loss of sexual tension level and reduced reactive intensity during sexual congress. The sexual capacity and performance of an elderly person are
directly influenced by some acute or chronicle enfeeblement, as well as the
physiological decay itself.
Nonetheless, it's quite possible, that the major influence in sexual
response of elderly, being inherent of the social sexual environment
where this person has dwelled all his/hers sexual formation.
Certain physical conditions and even psychic influences rebound on the sexual response of elderly folks, in a progressive way. It takes good understanding
once all this batch of influences and conditions imply in comprehension and
treatment of geriatric sexual problems.
There go five categories, which exert strong influence on sexual response
of elderly people.
As follows, monotony of a repetitive sexual relation; translated as
tiredness of sex partner.
Preoccupation with professional and financial activities.
Mental and physical fatigue.
Fear of performance as consequence or linked to any given category.
On the second part of this article, each category gets explained fully and
there will be an in-depth analysis of causes likely to diminish sexual response on elderly people.
Adriana Sommer da Costa
Psychologist and Sexologist
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