HOW TO ADDRESS SEXUALITY IN AGED CARE? POLICIES—GOOD, BAD, AND NONEXISTENT!

Abstract

Living in an aged care facility does not diminish the importance of sexuality or the need to express it. To promote an optimal quality of life for people living in aged care, aged care organizations need policies which clearly and consistently address the sexuality needs and activities of residents. This presentation reports data from a sexuality survey sent to all Australian aged care facilities (n = 2,766), which indicated that meaningful sexuality policies are lacking and policy frameworks inadequate. The policy landscape as depicted by our data will be examined in light of the introduction of a best practice Sexuality Assessment Tool (SexAT) for aged care facilities. Organizational support for sexuality with respect to policy development, residents’ needs, staff education and training, information and support for residents and families and the environment, safety and risk management will be discussed.