Intimacy and sexuality of older adults in nursing homes: the aged care staff’s perspective

Abstract

Intimacy and sexuality amongst the elderly people remain important and contribute to quality of life and well-being, including those living in nursing homes. However, these issues are often considered as a taboo in institutions and are therefore not addressed adequately, preventing the fulfilment of such needs for the residents. One of the obstacles seems associated to representations among the aged care staff on these topics. This presentation covers an extensive literature review on the subject. A critical analysis on existing research on aged care staff perspective allows us to identify three main themes: their perceptions; their actual practices and implemented strategies; and finally, mainstream approaches aiming at behavioural change among health professionals regarding their attitudes on intimacy and sexuality. Our analysis highlight that staff shows mostly positive attitudes on the importance of both issues, yet practices do not necessarily reflect this position. As a result of this gap, elderly are not considered in their needs and may even be repressed for having them. Finally, few means are implemented to raise awareness to provide the staff with necessary training.