Seniors are sexual beings, too. That is a key message for mature adults Squamish's Dr. Gerhard Malherbe will be delivering at a Health by Stealth presentation on Nov. 7.
The talk is presented in partnership with the Squamish Men's Shed Society at The 55 Activity Centre.
A light lunch is provided.
"It is not healthy, psychologically, to ignore sexual dysfunction. It is irresponsible. It is unloving, actually. I think these guys are doing a great thing to have this meeting," Malherbe said of the upcoming presentation.
For men it is important to know how common erectile dysfunction is, he said.
"The number I will throw out there is you take your age and you know what percentage of men your age have an issue."
So if you are 50, half of all men that age, have issues around erectile dysfunction.
"It is really common," Malherbe said. "It is something you need to talk about. It is a matter of quality of life."
Erectile dysfunction can be a symptom of underlying medical conditions that have been undiagnosed. That is why it is important to see a doctor about it, Malherbe said.
If you are trying to figure out if a person has a mood disorder, for example, you ask how his appetite, sleep and sex drive is, he said.
Medications can also contribute to the problem.
If not addressed, problems around sexuality can negatively and dramatically impact a relationship.
There can be medical issues for both partners and if they aren't addressed, one or both will lose interest, according to Malherbe.
"That can lead to bad consequences for your relationship," he said.
For women, there's a ton of new things on the market that can help with sexual problems, beyond medication, he said.
Another thing for seniors to know is that no one should be ashamed to address challenges around sexuality.
"Don't put your relationship second to your ego. Get off your high horse and come talk to me or us," he said.
The cultural narrative that seniors aren't interested or don't have sex is false, Malherbe said.
"There's the assumption that, 'I am not having a good time, so nobody else is.' That is just a lie," he said, adding that he's had patients in their very senior years with healthy sex lives.
"We should be having much more of an open mind about it."
You can have a healthy sex life over your entire lifespan, he said.
Some elderly folks fear they may die if they have sex — from a heart attack or brain aneurism — but unless told otherwise, sex is not that strenuous, Malherbe said.
"It is not strenuous at all. If you can climb a flight of stairs, cardiovascularly, you are cleared. You can have sex."
This presentation on sexuality is part of the Men's Shed's monthly Health By Stealth topics open to the public, free of charge. Other topics have included nutrition, macular degeneration and funeral planning. Travel Health Insurance will be discussed on Dec 5. Topics are specifically aimed at seniors in our community but all are welcome.
The Sexuality presentation with Malherbe runs from 11:45 to 1 p.m. Nov. 7. Preregistration is required.
To register, go to squamish.ca/rec.
