[Sexuality and dementia].

Sexuality, love, companionship and intimacy remain important parts of life in older people and demented patients. The most frequent sexual disorder reported by spouses of patients with dementia is sexual indifference related to apathy and blunted affect. Increase of sexual demands is rare and many behaviors considered as inappropriate or expressing hypersexuality actually express affective needs or result from cognitive disturbances. Permanence of sexual activity is most often a factor of adjustment for married dementia sufferers and their caregivers. However, some sexual behaviors are stressing for the spouses, mainly women spouses. In nursing homes or long term care facilities, expressing sexuality by demented subjects and dealing with inappropriate sexual expression are source of concerns for the nursing staff, other residents, and families. Information about sex and dementia and a psychobehavioral approach can decrease the strain of families and caregivers.