Birds, bees and HIV- for Seniors

Birds, bees and HIV – for seniors
TheStar.com - comment - Birds, bees and HIV – for seniors

August 17, 2007
Michele Cauch

(Original link http://www.thestar.com/printArticle/247081)

Recently, the Department of Aging in New York City has initiated sex education for seniors. The program gives away free condoms and offers free HIV testing in efforts to raise awareness of sexually transmitted infections among older adults.

Case in point, HIV was diagnosed in an 82-year-old in Washington, D.C. NYC has the most HIV cases of any U.S. city, nearly 100,000, and the city council has earmarked $1 million toward HIV education for older adults.

In contrast, Ontario has been lax in taking on a leadership role in educating older adults about HIV/AIDS. Seniors and HIV is an invisible danger no one wants to talk about or give any credence to.

Yet the threat is very real. Public Health Canada data show approximately 10 per cent of the positive HIV test reports in Canada each year since the beginning of the epidemic have been among those aged 50 years or older.

Compounding the danger of unchecked HIV/AIDS infection rates is the statistical proof of a major demographic shift. According to census results from Statistics Canada, seniors total 4.3 million, or 13.7 per cent of Canada's 31 million population, a huge cross-section.

In response to this future health risk, seniors and care providers need information now on the subject of sexuality. This is not the same old "birds and the bees" topic that used to make parents blush, but rather the unpleasant, cold, hard facts on sexually transmitted infections such as HIV, HPV, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and herpes, to name a few.

However, it's been an uphill battle to raise awareness in this population and their care providers. The biggest stumbling block is individuals who have the means to prevent access to information. Subjective announcements of "that doesn't happen here," or "that's not our concern" resound in nursing homes and retirement communities.

With respect to government agencies, no one wants to take ownership of this sensitive issue. The mandate of the government is young adults, who receive the bulk of sex education funding. While it would be unconscionable to downgrade the importance of such educational initiatives, we need to advocate and educate on senior sexual health also.

Education and prevention efforts must be aimed at three groups: First, older adults who are at risk of acquiring sexually transmitted infections in later life; second, older adults who acquired a sexually transmitted infection earlier in life and are aging with it; and third, senior care providers who must acknowledge the existence of senior sexuality and risk of unsafe sexual practices.

Seniors are not immune to sexually transmitted infections because of their age.

However minor an increase in HIV infection in older adults is, it will be compounded by the natural aging process of the baby boomers. We need strong government leadership that will acknowledge, support and implement programs for seniors, care providers and family members.

We need to create an environment in which we can openly discuss senior sexual health, disease prevention and management in a constructive and non-judgmental manner.

Otherwise, the health, dignity and well-being of our seniors will be at risk.



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Michele Cauch is executive director of SageHealth Network Canada, which offers health promotion workshops focusing on older adults and care providers. sagehealthnetwork.com