The Need for Sex Education in Aging Population

Purpose: the purpose of this speech is to inform my audience of the rising instance of STD’s among the elderly population and to urge my audience to openly discuss safe sex with their older family members as well as urge health care providers and our government to spend more resources addressing the problem.

Introduction: I’m going to let you in on a “dirty little secret”: Ladies and Gentlemen our parents and our grandparents are having sex!

I know you don’t want to hear it but we have to face facts. And according to a study published by the New England Journal of Medicine in 2007, not only are they having sex, they’re having A LOT of sex. Over 73% of people ages 57 to 64 remain sexually active and 57% of those in their 70’s.

And it’s not just the married couples who are having sex. In this day and age it’s not uncommon for more and more Americans to find themselves back on the dating scene well past what society considers “their prime.” We all have an older relative—maybe even our parents or grandparents— who are dating again and, whether you applaud or cringe at the thought of their liaisons, one dark cloud is hanging over their sexual bliss:

Sexually transmitted diseases are also on the rise among this population.

Preview: Today we are going to examine the new face of STD’s – the elderly. We will learn the shocking number of people being affected by this problem, will uncover the factors that led us here, and learn what we can do and what we can ask others to do to educate our Greatest Generation to the dangers of STD’s. We all know Sexually Transmitted Diseases have been serious issue for decades; countless efforts to raise awareness have attempted to reach people all over the world. So how bad is it in the elderly community? In 2008, the US Center for Disease Control reported that individuals age 50 and over represent more than 10% of total AIDS cases in the US and that HIV cases are increasing among individuals in their 60’s and 70’s. During the last decade, HIV cases have risen over 500% among senior citizens. These numbers are in direct conflict with our preconceived ideas of the stereotypical sexual behavior of the elderly. And, believe it or not, it’s not just the “single” folk who are contracting and spreading STD’s. Infidelity occurs in 20-25% of all marriages—regardless of age or number of years together. Throw into the mix prostitution, IV drug use, and sexual experimentation, and it’s no wonder that the STD numbers are going through the roof.

Take the case of The Villages Retirement Community: In 2006 Local 6 News in Orlando, Florida broke the story of an upsurge in the number of herpes and human papillomavirus (HPV) cases being diagnosed in the senior population. Similar trends are being seen in retirement communities in Arizona, Georgia, and right here in California. Not surprisingly, the elderly are at greater risk for serious complications from sexually transmitted disease. Those infected with HIV carry a high mortality rate. Of those diagnosed, 37% of those individuals over 80 years old have been reported to die within a single month of diagnosis. HIV and other STD medications are hard on an otherwise healthy body, like the young, and can exacerbate pre-existing conditions and other chronic diseases in an elderly person.

There’s no question that STDs are a problem no matter what the age group. So how did we get here? With record numbers of the mature and elderly population contracting Sexually Transmitted Diseases, surely this shouldn’t be a new phenomenon. What happened in the last decade?

Researchers and health care professionals have attributed this rise of STD cases with the aging demographic to two main factors: the proliferation of erectile and sexual enhancement drugs and the lack of education regarding safe sex practices. With the all of ads on TV, radio and internet, more and more Americans are turning to drugs to get back in the game. Foxnews reported in 2008 that prescription erectile dysfunction drug sales in the US would top over 4.5 billion dollars that year.

ED drugs are big business. The average buyer is male aged 55 and over. Also, more and more Americans are no longer in monogamous relationships, due to divorce, separation, or death of their spouse or partner. Websites like eharmony and match.com report an increase of the 50+ population utilizing their services.

This is also a generation of Americans who grew up before sexual education. They simply don’t know and don’t think to ask. Most equate safe sex with birth control. Since they can no longer become pregnant, the idea of condom use doesn’t occur to them. The stereotype of age and sexual activity even extends to medical professionals who often don’t screen their elderly and aging patients for STDs or ask questions about sexual history and current activity.

We, as a society, are letting our preconceived ideas about our elderly and aging population’s sexual activity get in the way of the safe sex practices we have been teaching our younger populations for decades.

So, we’ve heard the numbers, we know our elderly population are contracting diseases and we now know the biggest reasons they are contracting these diseases are due to lack of information and the availability of pharmaceuticals to put them back in the game. So how do we stop it?

In order to combat this rising epidemic of STDs in our elderly populations we first must become comfortable about discussing it. They are having sex, they are contracting diseases, they are spreading these diseases. We must reach out to older family members and feel comfortable about talking with them or pointing them in the right direction where they can obtain current and factual information. I know in many instances this is easier said than done; it’s not easy to sit down with grandma or grandpa and ask if they know how to keep themselves safe, and if your grandparents are anything like mine, they probably won’t pay a lot of mind to anything that comes out of your mouth. But they do read, and will read magazines, newspapers, websites. I’ve printed off some articles for you to take home today. If you give it to them face to face or leave somewhere you know they will find it, hopefully they will read and understand a little bit more. The Centers for Disease Control Website – cdc.gov—has a whole area dedicated to sexual health for the elderly.

Also, we should encourage those we care about to reach out to their doctor or medical provider and get information regarding safe sex practices. Locally, the Kaiser Health Foundation lists over 40 local non-profits that teach STD prevention in our community; a donation of time or money is always appreciated and can be directed to elderly awareness.

Nationally we need to train our medical professionals to properly screen all age demographics for sexually risky behavior. We must encourage our local and state health departments to allocate more dollars towards STD awareness, much like New York City. The New York City Department of Health allocated 1 million dollars in 2008 for an elderly awareness and screening program. They held information sessions at senior centers across the city and handed out free condoms as well as provided free HIV screenings. STD awareness increased over 47% because of this program. Programs like these would be immensely helpful in combating the rise of STDs in this demographic.

Summary: You’ve know heard the numbers, it is undeniable that sexually transmitted diseases are a serious problem in our senior community. You’ve heard how drugs like Viagra combined with a lack of proper sexual education has exacerbated this epidemic, and you know what you can do and what we can ask others to do to solve this problem.

Conclusion: I hope that I made you uncomfortable today. Whether you leave here uncomfortable in the knowledge that your older family members are having sex on a pretty regular basis; or the fact that that our elderly population is being stricken with preventable diseases, I hope that you are unsettled. I hope that you will now have the courage to look beyond your own preconceived ideas and stereo types and take action on behalf of your loved ones and our community.