Psychosexuality of senior citizens

Produkt

Older people are often denied the right to have and show romantic feelings, to want to build close relationships, to pursue a sexual life. Society regards such behaviour as inappropriate, immoral at this age. Caregivers of seniors sometimes have their own resistance (e.g. due to upbringing, personal negative experiences) to talking about this sphere of life, which prevents them from adequately supporting seniors in meeting their needs. They experience frustration during awkward situations (e.g. jokes by seniors with sexual overtones), they do not know how to react when seniors show affection to each other, they do not feel competent when asking seniors about topics related to their psycho-sexuality. They sometimes scold seniors for so-called inappropriate conversations or behaviour. Seniors also feel ashamed and helpless, feeling that they have no one to talk to about topics that bother them. They don't know what is the norm at their age and when to seek specialist advice. And close relationships, the realisation of psychosexual needs, are an essential part of being healthy in a psycho-physical context and feeling satisfied with life at any age.

The Guidebook allows one to diagnose or at least gain an understanding of the situation of the problems and needs of older people in the community, as well as their caregivers . The Guidebook provides a description of the competences and skills needed to conduct training and meetings with seniors. A table with supporting questions is used to identify the strengths of the people in the team, as well as areas that still need to be worked on.The next step after analysing the aptitude scores is to form a Psychosexual Brigade. The team can include a variety of people, not only from the therapeutic community (a range of competencies for work in the psychosexual field are also available to nurses, physiotherapists, administrative staff, and priests, among others). The activities of the Psychosexual Brigade can support each other emotionally and substantively, exchange ideas and thoughts, develop a plan to intervene in difficult situations, and create work standards that are in line with the team's beliefs. The Intimacy Attitudes Questionnaire included in the Additional Material in the Guide can be used for this. A training programme should be developed based on the guidance in the Guide, sample scenarios can be used. An evaluation of the activities should take place after the training.

Direct recipients, i.e.  people of senior age, in particular those in institutional care (seniors' homes, nursing homes, etc.) or community and home care, indirect recipients, i.e.  people working with older people, both caregivers and institutional caregivers, as well as informal people of senior age.

People working with older persons, carers and institutional carers.

A guide for institutional and informal caregivers of older seniors that aims to inspire work in the area of positive sexuality. It contains elements of psychoeducation, enables the acquisition of competences to support senior citizens.

The innovation is part of the momentous task of "disenchanting" a neglected topic by educating staff and familiarising seniors with the thought of the right to pleasure. The effectiveness of this innovation will be judged in a few years, although - given the current state of knowledge and needs in this area - satisfactory results can be expected.

Tak

Sexologists, psychoeducators.

To implement innovations, one needs: openness of individuals and institutions or organisations working with the elderly on the subject of their psychosexuality,involvement of institutions dealing with institutional and community care of the elderly and involvement of local government units and non-governmental organisations working for the benefit of the elderly,constant information activities addressed to  institutional and informal caregivers of the elderly breaking the taboo related to psychosexuality of the elderly,further building a support network focused on the topic of psychosexuality of the elderly,obtaining funding from various sources, activity of a person or a team coordinating the activities.

Stowarzyszenie Centrum Inicjatyw Edukacyjno-Społecznych z siedzibą w Szczecinie,

Szczecin

Generator Innowacji. Sieci Wsparcia 2 [2019-2023]