Improving the sexual lives of older Australians: Perspectives from a qualitative study

Objective: To examine older Australian’s perspectives on how their sexual lives can best be supported and/or improved. Methods: Fifty-three, semi-structured interviews were conducted with Australian men (n = 30) and women (n = 23) aged 60 and over. Results: Participants identified a range of key issues and areas where their sexual lives could be further supported or improved upon, including normalising the occurrence of sex and sexual desire in later life; increasing and improving on the quality of, cultural representations of older adults; introducing policy, educational and practice-based changes in age care facilities to support the consensual sexual expression of residents; and ensuring that sexual health campaigns and education are inclusive of older people. Conclusion: Our findings present clear implications for further developing sexuality education and public health campaigns, training and education of health-care professionals, and generating social and cultural change pertaining to the acceptability of the diversity of sexual expression in later life. Policy Statement: Many older adults remain sexually active as they come in to later life. Sexual health and ageing policy and education should seek to be inclusive of older adults, and to normalise the diversity of sexual expression in later life. There is a particular need for aged care facilities to adopt policy, education and practice based changes supporting the consensual sexual expression of residents.