The Fire May Be Banked, But It Sure Isn’t Out
"Our findings indicate that when it comes to sexual activity, older people are really just younger people later in life." - Dr. Stacy Tessler Lindau, Lead author of a new study on sexuality in the elderly.
Here's a handy little study for parents to use when they want the teenagers to leave them alone. According to the findings, people are staying sexually active right up into their mid-80s. That'll be too much information for the kids!
Many people maintain rich, active sex lives well into their 80s, according to the first detailed examination of sexuality among older Americans.
The nationally representative survey of more than 3,000 U.S. adults ages 57 to 85 found that more than half to three-quarters of those questioned remain sexually active, with a significant proportion engaging in frequent and varied sexual behavior.
Sexual problems do increase with age, and the rate of sexual activity fades somewhat, the survey found. But interest in sex remains high and the frequency remains surprisingly stable among the physically able who are lucky enough to still have partners.
"There's a popular perception that older people aren't as interested in sex as younger people," said Stacy Tessler Lindau of the University of Chicago, who led the study, being published today in the New England Journal of Medicine. "Our study shows that's simply not true. Older people value sexuality as an important part of life."
"This study paints a portrait of this aspect of older Americans' lives that suggests a previously uncharacterized vitality and interest in sexuality," agreed Georgeanne E. Patmios of the National Institute on Aging, the primary funder of the study. "This has not perhaps been fully appreciated."
Use the information wisely, however. Remember, it applies to your parents and grandparents as well……… Which is entirely too much information for me.
By Bleepless, Thursday, 23 August , 2007 @ 7:11 pm
There’s hope! Thank you, God!