Clinical Perspectives on Elderly Sexuality

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-ix

   PDF

2. An Introduction to Elderly Sexuality

   • Jennifer L. Hillman

   Pages 1-15

3. Knowledge of Elderly Sexuality

   • Jennifer L. Hillman

   Pages 17-35

4. Attitudes toward Elderly Sexuality

   • Jennifer L. Hillman

   Pages 37-53

5. Elderly Sexuality within an Institutional Context

   • Jennifer L. Hillman

   Pages 55-74

6. The Impact of Disability and Chronic Illness

   • Jennifer L. Hillman

   Pages 75-97

7. HIV/AIDS among Older Adults

   • Jennifer L. Hillman

   Pages 99-114

8. Women’s Issues in Elderly Sexuality

   • Jennifer L. Hillman

   Pages 115-138

9. Men’s Issues in Elderly Sexuality

   • Jennifer L. Hillman

   Pages 139-157

10. Elderly Sexuality in Traditional and Nontraditional Relationships

    • Jennifer L. Hillman

    Pages 159-178

11. Looking to the Future of Elderly Sexuality

    • Jennifer L. Hillman

    Pages 179-189

12. Back Matter

    Pages 191-206

    PDF

Throughout my clinical training and practice, I have been surprised by the number of times that sexual issues have emerged as an unexpectedly central feature in my work with older adults. I can vividly remember my own internal reaction on hearing one of my elderly female patients tell me that she was date raped a few years after the death of her elderly husband-when she was 68 years old. I can see in my mind's eye the blood splattered on the floor of an inpatient unit from an elderly man who smashed his arm through a window, furious that his antidepressant medication made it impossible to climax through masturbation. On a much less dramatic but equally important note, I think about the elderly amputee who told me softly about his fears of resuming sexual activity with his wife of 25 years. I also think about the elderly woman whose inability to take herself shopping to find fashionable, comfortable clothes to fit over her hunched shoulders and large breasts helped precipitate a serious depression. In sum, I learned early on that elderly sexuality is not just about how many times a week someone makes love. It is my hope that sharing these experiences and introducing the related theories, research, and interventions will assist other clinicians in dealing with these often challenging and clinically demanding situations. Without my patients, this text would not have been possible.

• Institution
• Nation
• assessment
• dementia
• geriatrics
• intervention
• psychology
• sexuality
• trauma
• sexual behaviour

`This text is well suited for professionals working with the elderly and will enhance the understanding of all who read it, including the elderly themselves and their caretakers and families.'
A Journal of Reviews and Commentary in Mental Health

• Berks-Lehigh Valley College, The Pennsylvania State University, Reading, USA

  Jennifer L. Hillman

Policies and ethics