A “provocation paper” edited by Later Life Audio and Radio Co-operative members Mervyn Eastman of Shirley Ayres has taken a fresh look at one of the topics that still appears taboo in many quarters: older people and sexual wellbeing.

Social attitudes, as the foreword by Dr Sharron Hinchcliffe points out, are tremendously hard to shift, and there is evidence that the stereotype of a sexless older age is still dominant… a stereotype connected to ageism and the tendency to associate older age with frailty, decline, and disease.

However, over the past 20 years there has been a significant and more positive shift in the way that the sexuality of older adults is viewed within Western societies, particularly the UK and other parts of Europe, the US, and Australia to one where their sexual agency, expression, and pleasure is recognised and, sometimes, celebrated. It is a positive step forward.

The contributions presented in the provocation paper highlight different perspectives on the topics of sexuality and intimacy in later life and represent an important milestone for establishing an open and critical dialogue, initiated by older adults themselves.

You can read the paper by clicking here: https://theageactionalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Sex-Intimacy-pages-11082022-FINAL.pdf