Many people associate old age with the least sexy part of our lives.
Nevertheless, experts are realizing that it is an important stage in our sexual development.
Of course, we aren’t referring to the raunchy sex of our youth, nor necessarily even penetrative sex. Sex evolves and changes in form and meaning once we get to the later parts of our lives.
Once we know that sex can (and should) be practiced throughout our lives, we wanted to understand what actually happens with our sex life when we get to the seniority.
Zoraida Granados, a sexologist specializing in seniority and mourning, told us that “It will always depend on the quality of life that the person has had, but sexuality in the elderly is more surrounded by myths than reality.”
Loneliness is more common in women than in men; in men there is more widower syndrome: After losing their partner they get another but only to alleviate loneliness. Many of the reluctance to have a new partner depart from the family. Children who don’t want their mothers to be with someone else because they loved their deceased father very much. “We talk about basic needs and one is affection, another friendship and another care. Happiness happens to have them covered and to be responsible for our own emotions.”
That’s why the psychosexologist states that “allowing sex in nursing homes would be a health guideline. Establish guidelines for admitting that transmitting affection and caresses are healthy. It’s a need for contact. There are old people who cling to a teddy bear because of the need to have contact.”
The sexual burden of most behaviors is put by adults, children, or the elderly; that’s why it’s good to understand that these displays of affection based on caresses, in sleeping with someone, does not involve penetration or sex as we understand it.
