Centre for Ageing and Mental Health, Staffordshire University, Stafford, UK.
Int Psychogeriatr. 2012 Jul;24(7):1026-33. doi: 10.1017/S1041610212000257. Epub 2012 Mar 14.
Sexuality in later life and its relationship to dementia is a neglected topic: greater understanding of the area has the potential to contribute to the quality of life of people with dementia, their family members, and formal carers. We review current knowledge about sexuality, aging, and dementia.
We undertook a review of the recent literature to examine of the following areas: what is known about sexuality and aging, and about attitudes to sexuality and aging; what is known about the relevance of sexuality and aging to people living with dementia and their care; and the management of sexual behaviors causing concern to others.
Sexual activity decreases in frequency with increasing age but many older people remain sexually active; there is no age limit to sexual responsiveness; and sexuality is becoming more important to successive cohorts of older people, including people living with dementia and gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered elderly people. Attitudes and beliefs toward sexuality and aging are strongly influenced by stereotypes and myths, not only among the general public but also among those working in health and social care.
Professional bodies should include sexuality, aging, and dementia in their training curricula. More work is needed on the impact of environmental issues, particularly in group living situations, on older adults' sexuality, and on consent issues. Ethical decision-making frameworks can be useful in practice. Organizations should investigate how to support staff in avoiding a problem-orientated approach and focus on providing holistic person-centered care.
晚年的性生活及其与痴呆症的关系是一个被忽视的话题：更多地了解这一领域有可能提高痴呆症患者、他们的家庭成员和正规护理者的生活质量。我们回顾了关于性、衰老和痴呆症的现有知识。
我们对最近的文献进行了综述，以研究以下几个方面：人们对性与衰老以及对性与衰老的态度了解多少；性与衰老对患有痴呆症的人和他们的护理者的相关性的了解程度；以及对引起他人关注的性行为的管理。
性活动的频率随着年龄的增长而降低，但许多老年人仍然保持着性活跃；性反应没有年龄限制；性对包括痴呆症患者在内的不同代际的老年人越来越重要，包括同性恋、双性恋、变性老年人。对性和衰老的态度和信念受到刻板印象和神话的强烈影响，不仅在公众中，而且在卫生和社会保健工作者中也是如此。
专业机构应将性、衰老和痴呆症纳入其培训课程。需要更多地研究环境问题对老年人性的影响，特别是在集体生活环境中，以及关于同意的问题。伦理决策框架在实践中很有用。各组织应调查如何支持工作人员避免以问题为导向的方法，并注重提供全面的以个人为中心的护理。
