Monday, 11 June 2012

Sex Life of Older Adults and Rising STDs


With thanks to freedigitalphoto.net
Feb 3, 2012 7:30am FROM ABC NEWS AUSTRALIA
Rates of sexually transmitted diseases have doubled for people in their 50s, 60s and 70s in the past decade, a new study found.
The sex life of older adults – long ignored and little researched – is getting new attention in the face of some staggering statistics.
Before continuing with the ABC information, Trish would like to add some food for thought as to why this might be occurring:
I remember as a child inadvertently coming across my parents in situations that were very private and what my kids would call "too much information." As parents, you are often seen as asexual by your children, which is why after 9 months of searching , I found my kids under the cabbage patch!
If you would  then  consider discussing sexuality of the three score years age group using examples like  Joan Collins, or Jane Fonda, or even Richard Gere, it is often more acceptable because  they belong to the acceptable images of Hollywood reality.  But if it is ordinary  Mum or Dad at home, well -------! Do they actually do IT? Apparently they do! Maybe we need to talk about it? T
Rates of sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis have doubled for people in their 50s, 60s and 70s in the past decade, but safe sex awareness among older adults and its promotion by doctors is still lagging, according to an article published today by researchers at Kings College and Saint Thomas’s Hospital in London.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 885 reported cases of syphilis in 45- to 64-year-olds in 2000; in 2010, there were more than 2,500. In 2000, there were 6,700 cases of chlamydia in this age group; the number ballooned to more than 19,000 by 2010.
The numbers of  older people with HIV  has nearly doubled, and 15 percent of new diagnoses of HIV in the U.S. were in people age 50 and older in 2005, which is the most recent year that the CDC calculated the risk for this age group.
The researchers say it’s hard to know just why STD rates are on the rise among older people, mostly because there’s been so little research on the sex lives of older adults.
“Unfortunately, until the public health data started to show a rise [in disease rates], no one did any research at all,” said Rachel von Simson, the report’s lead author and a medical student at Kings College London. “We just know there are more infections being diagnosed now than in the past.”
Biological changes and the rise of drugs for erectile dysfunction may be setting the mood for the rise. Postmenopausal changes to the vagina, such as decreased lubrication, make older women are more vulnerable to infections, and popable pills like Viagra let men have sexual intercourse at older ages than ever before.
Eli Coleman, director of the Program in Human Sexuality at the University of Minnesota Medical School, said longer lives and more divorces may be leading older people to have more sex partners than in years past. The generation’s view of condoms and safe sex is also probably less well-informed than their children’s.
“People are making midlife changes and going back into dating and maybe never have used condoms when they started out many years ago,” Coleman said. “They also think of their grandmother’s old-fashioned condoms and know nothing about the availability of them now or how to use them.”
A 2010 study of sexual health from Indiana University found the lowest rates of condom use were among people ages 45 and older.
The authors of the current study said doctors often shy away from discussing sexual health with their older patients or may not view STDs as a risk at all. And health education campaigns heavily promote safe sex for teenagers and young adults, but ads urging older adults  to use condoms are rare.
“People think this is a problem of youth, and there’s a sense of invulnerability and ignorance among older adults,” Coleman said. “We need to urge physicians to not look at some patients as not at risk.”

Please click on the word "comments" below, or write in the box if it is open, to share your ideas. The more the merrier! Thanks.
Trisha and Lynda

Saturday, 9 June 2012

Virginia Woolf quote re writing

I was in a queer mood, thinking myself very old: but now I am a woman again - as I always am when I write.  Virginia Woolf
Writing transforms us from the present into the potential - which is whatever we want it or us, to be. I have been exponent of correct spelling and grammar in the past, in the interest of clarity. However, getting the idea, wish, critique, proposal, fantasy, whatever down on to the page is the first and most important achievement. Having the courage to put it in black and white, and open yourself to being critiqued, is momentous - first for you, then maybe the world. Editing comes second. The act of writing is cathartic even if it is not for public consumption. Many articles have been written on writing as a therapy; it can dissipate negative feelings as well as create a positive experience.
Today I am particularly writing in Trebuchet font in honour of a friend, Pip, who loved trebuchets, and got me involved in researching them for him when he was stuck (grumpily) in hospital and away from his computer. He loved reading and writing about many other things including pirates.
Please write a comment, just so you write something today! From Lynda

Friday, 8 June 2012

To move house, or not to move?

A friend literally jumped out at me the other day while I was walking the dog, wanting  to share how she was coping since the loss of her husband. At times the conversation was abstract; it was also obvious that the support of her family and friends was an important part of her capacity to cope. The conversation stayed with me, not only because she crossed my path 3 more times on my walk, but the well intentioned suggestions by family and friends to down size and buy another house to accommodate financial changes, bothered me.
Your home is where you live - where you hang your hat , raise your family, develop memories. It is your castle and a place where, if you are lucky, you can gracefully  grow into three score years and ten. But the two  story house that has incredible views is isolated from transport and has lots of stairs to the bed room and bathroom. It may be a fantastic home when you are 60 years old but accessibility is crucial when you want  to stay independent and at home as long as possible - especially if your body becomes not as  forgiving as years go by.
Luckily my friend had decided not to make any hasty decisions about moving. She did not consider her age at  67 year a problem because she was still delivering papers, independent at home, driving, and still occasionally teaching...but that is another story. Posted by TRISH
...and from Lynda...when we wrote our book, What can I Do?, we divided it into sections based on where you live. Everyone is different, but most people are the same. We want to be in control of our lives, but life often conspires against us. The secret is to get good information and then be able to make choices that suit your individual set of circumstances.

Sunday, 3 June 2012

Gluten free scrumptious birthday

Well, another year older and commencing the 73 days that each year my husband and I are the same age. The Eltham Hotel on Main Rd Eltham, Victoria is excellent, as they belong to the Coeliac Society PLUS the chef is top class. Consequently my birthday indulgences leave me feeling full and happy, while everyone else enjoys the same and has had a gourmet repast. It is an old style family hotel, with customers of all ages, managing to clean their plates of the plentiful serves. Today we couldn't manage those tempting cakes, so I think I shall have to try again! The Devil-Made- Me Do It wine had to be served after I got home, but it was worth the wait! The most precious gifts I received were time with me at the restaurant, time on long, happy phone calls from Sydney, time looking at Facebook posts from around the world, and time receiving and sending loving and funny SMS texts. Love technology and good food - but mostly love the people to enjoy them with!
http://www.elthamhotel.com.au/