He is a Senior Fellow of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality and has completed a 10 year longitudinal study of Life Satisfactions of Same Sex and Opposite Sex Couples and has presented his findings internationally. He is Director of the Life Change Institute in Palm Springs and the Executive Director of the Desert Council for Aging. We believe, however, that it is something we need to talk about openly to help dispel some of the myths that pervade popular perceptions of older adults, and it is also particularly important now because HIV infection, among older Americans, is a serious health threat. I haven t been down there since 1953. Essentially our society does not preserve senior adults sexuality, but rather denies that it even exists.
Sex is part of a full and good life.
It is not just physical, but is the integration of mind, body and soul in a physical release that is not about control and power, but about love and caring. We were created as sexual beings and we can express ourselves in any way that is not physically or sexually displeasing or repugnant. Values and morals through the ages have arisen that cause us difficulty in freely expressing that gift. Many middle age individuals think their parents only had sex once - when they were conceived. Opportunity for sex becomes less frequent often as we grow older.