Despite the literature and programs available to educate teenagers about practicing safe sex, very few resources on the subject exist for seniors. For older adults who are dipping their toes into the dating pool possibly for the first time in decades, they might not be aware of the importance of asking new sexual partners about their sexual history or that they need to use condoms to prevent contracting sexually transmitted diseases.
The elderly represent the most rapidly growing segment of the population to acquire HIV infections. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Prevention Information Network, 19 percent of all people with HIV/AIDS in the United States are age 50 and older. Since older people don’t get tested for sexually transmitted diseases on a regular basis, there may be even more undiagnosed cases.
A lot of older patients and their physicians don’t discuss sexual health during check-ups and other office visits. But seniors, especially women, are more prone to acquiring sexually transmitted diseases because of a thinning vaginal area and a lower immune system. Therefore, it is important they use protection when having intercourse to help prevent spreading sexually transmitted diseases.
Cultural and generational differences may play a role in why older generations aren’t as educated about sex. Prior to the sexual revolution of the 1960s, people knew about abortions and sexually transmitted diseases but it was more “hush-hush.” Baby boomers witnessed two landmarks in sexual history with the arrival of the birth control pill in the 1960s and the legalization of abortion via the groundbreaking case of Roe vs. Wade in the 1970s. Today, sexuality continues to be out in the open from Viagra commercials on television to sex being discussed openly on popular television shows, like “Sex and the City.” It is likely that the next generation will be more proactive about practicing safe sex in their golden years because they most likely are already practicing safe sex as younger adults.
How sex changes with age
A common misperception is that older adults do not have sexual desires, but intercourse often occurs well into one’s golden years.
