Sex Among Demented Spurs Group to Call for Policies

(Bloomberg) An association of professionals who work at hundreds of elderly-care facilities in the U.S. is calling on the homes to reconsider their policies -- or, in most cases, lack of policies -- on geriatric sex.

AMDA, formerly known as the American Medical Directors Association, said it took the action after articles published by Bloomberg News exposed the under-examined issues and consequences of sex between the demented at U.S. facilities.

Some nursing home companies are already reviewing their policies in light of the stories. Hebrew Health Care, a non-profit operator of a variety of elderly-care services in West Hartford, Connecticut, started developing a policy and training in September, said Pamela Atwood, its director of dementia-care services.

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Difficult Decisions

People are sexually active well into their 70s and 80s, research has found. For those with dementia, intimacy and sex can be a healthy comfort as they lose comprehension of family and friends. Federal and state laws require care facilities to respect residents’ rights to privacy, including that for kissing, fondling, intercourse and other sexual activity.

In interviews, doctors and other caregivers relate myriad situations requiring difficult decisions by facility staff and families: people with dementia who have forgotten who their spouses are and seek intimacy with others; a husband who demands sex from his demented wife, despite her resistance; a demented woman who has passionate sex with her husband, then attacks him for having an affair. .....................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-28/sex-among-demented-spurs-group-to-call-for-policies.html