Is There Sex After 60? – Part 1

HIV/AIDS Has no Age Discrimination:

Everyone needs to love and know they are loved. And a healthy expression of sexuality and affection is very important no matter what your age. There is more to this though than just having intercourse or other forms of erotic pleasure. It encompasses feelings, emotions and attributes that people have about intimacy and closeness. It also includes the affection and tenderness shown towards a partner.

As we age, many physical, emotional and social changes occur that may have an impact on an older person and their sex life. We need to accept these changes as fact and adapt either by changing our actions, activities or getting assistance from our physician.

Age does bring some benefits as far as sexual activities. Many men can have a prolonged sexual encounter and may have more control over when they have an organism. Many older women note an increase in sex drive and a sense of sexual freedom probably because they do not have to worry about becoming pregnant.

This may be the leading cause of the increase in reported HIV cases in adults over 50 years of age.

The U.S. National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging, states,”A growing number of older people now have HIV/AIDS. About 19% of all people with HIV/AIDS in the country are age 50 and older.” 1

Some of the reasons stated for this may include:

• Better treatment and people living longer with the disease.
• Older people are often overlooked by physicians to be tested for STD's
• Sometimes the symptoms of HIV/AIDS may appear to be from the “aging” process, such as normal aches and pains due to arthritis, etc. Because of this symptoms are often over looked as being HIV.
• Older patients may be ashamed or embarrassed to speak with their physician about STD's and getting tested.
• And probably one of the highest contributing factors for the increase in HIV/AIDS among older people is the lack of “safe sex” practices, or lack of using a condom. Primarily, this is because there is no threat of pregnancy. For older women, there are special considerations: after menopause, condom use for birth control becomes unimportant, and normal aging changes such as a decrease in vaginal lubrication and thinning vaginal walls can put them at higher risk during unprotected sexual intercourse.

Health agencies in most cities offer HIV testing. The following National Organizations have information about HIV/AIDS:

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
   National AIDS Hotline
   1-800-342-AIDS
   (operated 24 hours a day 7 days a week)
   1-800-344-7432 for Spanish
   1-800-243-7889 (TTY)
   www.cdc.gov
2. National Association on HIV Over Fifty
   23 Miner Street
   Boston, MA 02215-3318
   www.hivoverfifty.org
3. Senior Action in a Gay Environment (SAGE)
   305 7th Avenue
   16th floor
   New York, NY 10001
   212-741-2247
   www.sageusa.org