Sex after 60: why it’s good for you – your sleep is better, your heart is healthier and you feel better about yourself, experts tell us
- There is little representation in movies or on TV of old people enjoying sex – but they should remain sexually active, say therapists and doctors
- Asian societies in particular need to talk about sex more, and younger family members can advise older ones about safe sex, says a Singapore-based therapist
In popular culture – from advertising to movies and television – the message is clear: the elderly are not sexually active or intimate, says Hong Kong sex therapist and relationship counsellor Cynthia Ho.
“Whenever the media expresses the need for, or enjoyment of sex, they mostly use healthy models that represent youth and beauty,” says Ho, of the Neo Health consultancy in the city’s Central district. “Anyone outside this category rarely matters.
“People start to think that those who are not young, beautiful or healthy, do not – or should not – enjoy sex.”
To change attitudes, Ho says education is key. “It’s not just a lack of sex education for students at Hong Kong schools,” says Ho. “More public education is needed about the importance of sexual health so people understand it’s not only about sexual intercourse – it is a state of physical, emotional, mental and social well being related to sexuality as a whole.
“This includes, but is not limited to, the ability to be intimate with a partner and to be able to communicate explicitly their sexual needs and desires – even for seniors.”
There is very little new research out of Hong Kong on the subject of sex and intimacy in later life.