Aging and Sexual Health

From the lecture today on aging and sexual health, there were some key takeaways that were important for occupational therapists to understand considering this topic is within our scope of practice. It may be a very uncomfortable topic for most people, but it is a major component for increased quality of life. All in all, sexual experiences start with a cognitive thought and there can be physical or psychological reasons why someone is having issues with their sexual intimacy. For men it is more a perfectionist mindset, and for women it is more of a biological drive or body image issue that can hold them back from engaging in this activity. There is a common idea that older adults leave behind this component of their life as they age and this is not necessarily true. There are definitely changes that occur as we age when it comes to this specific topic, but learning how to address these issues and concerns are part of what needs to take place to maintain quality of life. Occupational therapists and certified sex therapists need to work together on this matter because if either discipline needs a consult from the other professional, it is important to know their role in this subject as well as what occupational therapy can do to help. 

One intervention that an occupational therapist could work on with an individual is energy conservation. For many diagnoses and the older population specifically, fatigue can be an issue. Working on building endurance in therapy is one way to address sexual health, but also educating the client on how to conserve their energy prior to engaging in sexual activity. Strategies such as having all related items for a task in one specific area, limiting the need to expel a large amount of energy for everyday activities, can help with the client having saved energy to devote to their sexual experiences. Also, taking breaks throughout the day and spreading tasks out over the course of the week instead of trying to do multiple things in one day can help reserve some energy as well. 

For a group or a population, an intervention that could be implemented might be doing an inservice for employees who work in skilled nursing facilities or an educational session for caregivers on the importance of sexual health for the older adult population. The inservice should include information on the importance of not shaming them for feeling a need to pursue this type of activity and ways we can support them such as giving them privacy, validating their concerns, finding resources for them, and helping them understand that changes are completely normal for the aging population. Further, if you are working with a group of older adults who have had surgeries that can impact their ability to engage in this type of activity such as hip replacements, spinal cord injuries, or amputations this could be a topic of discussion during group after a significant amount of rapport has been built. You could invite a certified sex therapist to assist you with leading this particular group session to expand the information given on the topic. 

For all interactions with clients occupational therapists should utilize the PLISSIT model that stands for permission, limited information, specific suggestions, and intensive therapy.