Alzheimer's and Sex In Nursing Homes

While every effort should be made to ensure that no resident comes to harm, care facilities must respect the rights of residents with dementia to make decisions about their relationships.ByAlzheimer's Reading RoomRecently the issue ofsex and dementia in nursing homes has been back in the news. This is certainly a difficult issue that needs to be addressed head on.It is happening - so what should be done? Is there a need for guidelines and case law?As result of the recent news, I decided to republish this abstract and summary of the paper that appeared in theJournal of Medical Ethics - Dementia, sexuality and consent in residential aged care facilities.Understanding Alzheimer's and Dementia"Sexual self-determination is considered a fundamental human right by most of us living in Western societies.While we must abide bylaws regarding consent and coercion, in general we expect to be able to engage in sexual behaviour whenever, and with whomever, we choose.Subscribe to the Alzheimer's Reading RoomEmail:For older people with dementia living in residential aged care facilities (RACFs), however, the issue becomes more complex.Staff often struggle to balance residents' rights with theirduty of care, andnegative attitudes towards older people's sexuality can lead to residents' sexual expression beingoverlooked, ignored, or even discouraged."How to Solve Dementia Care Problems"In particular, questions as towhether residents with dementia are able to consent to sexual activity...
Source: Alzheimer's Reading Room, The - Category: Neurology Tags: alzheimer care alzheimer's sex Alzheimers Dementia care of dementia patients dementia care dementia sex help alzheimers help dementia nursing home care senior care sex in nursing homes Source Type: blogs