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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 29, 1984)
Thursday, March 28,1984/The Battalion/Page 3b ixperts respond to report on sex for over-50s ;/ ■ United Press International Cupid doesn’t overlook the r-the-hill crowd when aini- his arrows, experts on aging Id sex claim — nevermind that jnglovers may find that hard I believe. I Authorities were interviewed ■see it their views about love Id sex after 50 were in step lit a new Consumers Union Lott on lovelife from 4,246 hi and women aged 50 to 914. The majority of respondents [married oi unmarried, male female — lead happy and sex- pyactive lives, says the report, ive, Sex and Aging” (l ittle, flown, SI9.95). Some respondents claimed [il, while frequency and pas- n had diminished somewhat, ‘overall quality of sex had ini- !|ed. Dr Mary Calderone, 79, a j'id-famous sex educator and isader for the responsible use sex,said, “It’s safe to say sex is me for those who wish it — tie do and some don't. But it is ere and available in some rm, ranging from simple idling or contact to inter- irse." Calderone, an adjunct pro- wr of health education at New ik University Medical Gen evas the first female medical lector of the Planned Parent- od Federation of America kl recently retired from the esidency of the Sex Informa- it and Education Council of je United States, which she ft) tided. if The best thing about grow- Btoldci is that you are freer to It d and express many warm I pendships — even love — fliicharein very short supply in In world,’’ she said. J Edward M Bi eeher, 72, ki e the new report with edi- (to s of Consumei Reports. A ■dowet since 1966, he said, “I Hi miss my wife, Ruth, but that Hsnt kept me from leading a Hkfull and rew aiding, sexiial- fe. Dr. Mary Calderone, 79, a world-famous sex educator and crusader for the re sponsible use of sex, said, “Ids safe to say sex is there for those who wish it — some do and some don’t. But it is there and available in some form, ranging from simple touching or contact to inter course. ” “The report is a panorama of how life can be for people 50 and over." He said it shows how life can be, not what it is for all. Sexual activity as women and men age is not the same as young love. Brecher said obesity, arthritis and other physical changes make a difference. “But hundreds have told us they have found ways despite the physiological changes,” he said. At Syracuse University, Dr. Sol Gordon, another sex educa tor, also was asked if over 50 is over the hill. “I’m 60 and the answer is oh, no,” Gordon said. “In every relationship, the main thing to keep in mind is that sex is not the most impor tant thing. Some people think that if they are not sexually ac tive or have a reduced interest in sex they must be sick. “It is not a disease to have love without sex as the main thing. We shouldn’t connect sex to love. It is important not to define love in terms of sex." What older people get pas sionate about varies, just as it does among younger people, said Gordon, director of the Syracuse University Institute for Family Research and Education. “I know a couple whose main passion is square dancing,” he said. “And there are others who want most of all to golf together.” Dr. Robert A. Butler, former director of the National Insti tute on Aging and head of the 1 Skagg-s Shopping Center 846-0084 'k'TT-.iV' cl979(Rev. 1982) EMRA Corporation Shampoo and blowdry a , e a „ a „ able a , aadjl|onal new Department of Geriatrics at the Mount Sinai School of Medi cine, said, “There is love and sex life after 50 but stereotyping makes people believe there is a decline in desire and satisfac tion.” Buile-r said illness or even medications can make people lose interest in sex, and they should know that, to avoid be coming depressed over what appears to be irreversible impo tence. He said psychotrophic drugs and many high blood pressure medicines often make people lose desire even though they are still interested in sex. Doctors are a part of the problem of stereotyping the sex ual activity of older persons, Butler said. “Most had no sex education in medical school,” he said. As more doctors become au thoritative about sexual activity after age 50, Butler said, he ex pects elderly patients to receive more competent counseling from their physicians about sex. Butler and his wife, Myrna Lewis, a specialist in older women’s health on the medical school faculty, are working on a revision of their book, “Love and Sex After Sixty” (Harper & Row). Lewis said there have been some technological adv ances since it was written eight years ago. “There are new ways of de lecting the physiological basis of impotence,” she said. “And there are new thoughts, a more conservative approach, about using estrogen.” “Older men and older women have different obstacles to overcome when it comes to sexual activity,” she said. “Society equates a young face with sexual attraciveness. The aging face has wrinkles and the stereotype holds that the woman with an that kind of face is over the hill.” The council said il “supports the right of older persons to engage in sexual activity if they so wish and deplores institutional arrangements which prohibit or discour age such activity. ” With older men, Lewis said, performance very gradually slows down. “A lot of men who are not informed about this gradual slowing down feel incompetent when compared to the 18-year- old.” Barbara Whitney, head of the Sex Information and Education Council, said the stereotype of a sexually-inactive older popula tion has led to problems in some nursing homes and other insti tutions with elderly populations. Administrators often try to en force segregation according to sex. To help people involved overcome such problems, and for the benefit of the elderly generally, Whitney said the council’s board recently approved a position statement on sexuality and aging. It “notes with approval the increased general understand ing that sexual expression and desire very often continues throughout the life cycle. The available evidence indicates, however, a need for continued education of both professionals and non-professionals concern ing the sexual feelings, attitudes, sensitivities of older men and The council said it “supports the right of older persons to en gage in sexual activity if they so wish and deplores institutional arrangements which prohibit or discourage such activity.” AUTO INSURANCE FOR AGGIES Call: George Webb Farmers Insurance Group i 3400 S. College 823 8051 “Now honey, before you say any thing, I want to tell you why I stood you up last night. You see, I’m in Alaska. Now I’m sure you’re think ing—just what is an air conditioning salesman doing in Alaska in the dead of winter, so I’m going to tell you—honeybun, they are having one heck of a heat wave up here! You could fry eggs on these igloos, no kidding! 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