It could be that the discussions about 'sex and the older man' that accompanied the marketing of viagra and other impotence treatments have made it easier for men to discuss sex-related complaints. As agony aunt Claire Rayner pithily explains, 'Years ago an older man who caught a dose of the clap from a prostitute would not be contacting his doctor. People were stoical and not over-keen to present themselves for treatment, but now more people are prepared to seek help'. Regardless of the reasons why more pensioners are seeking cures for the clap, however, one thing is certain. The last thing older people need is some patronising government campaign to educate them about their sexual health needs.
Nobody can accuse pensioners of being too young to be aware of the consequences of their actions.
In 2000, the paper was told, four elderly people had been asked to move out after being caught in 'a midnight orgy' in the dayroom. There is an ageist assumption that older people are not longer interested in intimacy, and this is simply not true', said Julia Burton-Jones for the charity. If Help the Aged wants to recognise 'mature sexuality', maybe it would do better using its time and resources to convince care home workers that residents' participation in a midnight dayroom orgy should be a cause of congratulation, not expulsion.