Study Says Sex is rated "R" for "Retirement" Professor David Demko, PhD AgeVenture News Service Maybe with a little coaxing, we could get country music songwriter, Willie Nelson to update the words to one of his songs. "Oh, momma, don't let your babies grow-up to be shy boys." Then we'd have a tune that reflects a new boomer trend. And, that trend is the growing recognition that neither the desire, nor the ability, to have an active sex life disappears with advancing age. That's right, the Gerontology Society of America (GSA) reports that robust sexuality can continue even into the tenth decade. That's 100 years folks. Nowdays, aging boomers and their elder counterparts don't have to be shy about expressing the desire for an active sex life. Seems this activity is timeless. You might say, science has just given sex an "R" rating, for "Retirement". Sexual activity and sexual satisfaction among aging males has been underestimated according to a study by researchers from Stanford University, University of California and from Honolulu. The three researchers led by Walter M. Bortz II of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation and Stanford University found that many older men show persistently active sexual lifestyles. Drs. Bortz, Douglas H. Wallace and Diana Wiley administered a 63-item questionnaire to 1,202 elderly men between the ages of 59 and 94. The questions related to present and past, actual and desired sexual practices and attitudes. The study is presented in the May 1999 issue of the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences. This study is the largest to date on the sexuality of older men. The study group was divided into three groups. The males in the Exemplar group (those with no reported medical conditions, living with a sexual partner, and had a positive perception of her) "exhibited more active levels of sexual functioning across the age relative to their peers." The study also showed that "age alone does not account for the reported levels of sexual function and sexual satisfaction in the aging male," Bortz and his colleague noted. The analysis indicated that chronological age alone is a good predictor of sexual function. "The presence of negative perceptions of a partner’s sexual receptivity when combined with the presence of illness and drug use, may suppress the level of sexual functioning." Translation. Sex begins in the mind. If you believe you can't, or shouldn't, then you don't. I think there's another message here that deserves equal attention. Yes, the "possibility" for sexual activity may continue. But let's not invent another stereotype that creates expectations that may frustrate some elders. Afterall, "potential" for sex does not imply "interest" in sex. I remember the story about the old man who finds a frog that can talk. The frog says to the old man, "Kiss me and I will turn into a beautiful woman and we can make love all the time". To which the old man replied, "No thanks, at my age, I'd rather have a frog that talks". David Demko reports on lifestyle issues and trends in Aging America. AgeVenture News Service BACK TO TOP