clinical focus
Love in all its forms
ACI : What are the differences between
sexuality and intimacy?
How to talk with aged
care residents about
sexuality and intimacy.
Tracey Clark interviewed by Megan Tran
T
he topics of sexuality and intimacy
are often taboo and not normally
considered when we talk about the
elderly, but how do sexuality and intimacy
differ and how should staff be inclusive of
these decisions?
Aged Care Insite spoke with Tracey Clark,
Montefiore’s general manager of allied
health services, about the best ways to
navigate these sensitive topics.
24 agedcareinsite.com.au
TC: Sexuality is how a person individually
expresses themselves, whereas intimacy is
about a relationship between two beings.
What’s complicated about sexuality is
that it does encompass a lot of different
aspects that often people aren’t aware of
and haven’t really discussed or reflected on
for themselves.
What are society’s perceptions of sex
and intimacy in older people?
People are often surprised if you even raise
the subject. From conversations I’ve had
and general research, [it seems that as
people] get older, there’s less of a need for
sex and there’s less desire, but that’s not
necessarily individual people’s reality.
How does intimacy alter as people age?
At this point, there’s not enough broad
research to really gain an accurate picture.
But there is some research, and it shows
that there’s a number of conditions that
do increase with age and some commonly
used medications in older people that can
change their ability to have an intimate
relationship and express their sexuality as
they want to express it.
For this reason, it’s important that we
try to shift the perception that sexuality
and intimacy isn’t important in people
as they get older, because it’s actually
incredibly important and essential to
people’s wellbeing.
When you were developing policies
for Montefiore, what were some of
the measures relating to the rights of
residents and staff?
The first way we developed our policy –
and I’d recommend it for other facilities
– is using the SexAT, which is the Sexuality
Assessment Tool. It is freely available.
We felt it was important to ensure
residents and staff were clear about their
own rights and other people’s rights, and