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Older Adults and Sexual Health: A Review of Current Literature

  • Integrating the Psychosocial (B McCarthy, RT Segraves and AH Clayton, Section Editors)
  • Published:
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Abstract

The sexual health of older adults is part of their overall health but significantly under researched and often unaddressed. Health care practitioners (HCPs) and mental health counselors admit they are not trained to address sexual health and frequently ignore or underestimate older adults’ sexual health concerns. This article summarizes the barriers to sexual health care for older adults and the current literature understanding effects of aging on sexual function and dysfunction. Areas for further research are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

The author is grateful to Brad Waters, MSW, for editorial and content assistance and to Melinda Abernethy, MD, for content assistance. The author received no remuneration of any kind for the development of this manuscript.

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Conflict of Interest

Sallie Foley declares a financial relationship with Guilford Press, publisher of a book she co-authored, Sex Matters for Women: A Complete Guide To Taking Care Of Your Sexual Self.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by the author.

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  1. University of Michigan School of Social Work, 1080 S. University, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-1106, USA

    Sallie Foley

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Foley, S. Older Adults and Sexual Health: A Review of Current Literature. Curr Sex Health Rep 7, 70–79 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11930-015-0046-x

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