Sexuality, sexual intimacy and sexual health in later life

The long-held assumption that older people are asexual is no longer tenable (Minichiello et al 1996a). To perpetuate such misconceptions can only be considered ageist, particularly when current political discourses acknowledge older people as citizens with equal rights, needs and privileges. Yet it is not easy to correct the myth of the asexual older person, given the cultural predisposition to favour youthfulness and to associate sexual attraction with being young (see Chapter 1). Another indication of the tendency to understate the sexual interest of older people is the limited space given to this topic in popular and scientific culture. Until recently, few studies treated sexuality in later life as a legitimate subject for investigation, despite longstanding scientific, religious and medical preoccupations with sexuality.