Sexuality of people 60+ in care institutions - theoretical approach and directions for future research

Abstract

The article focuses on the sexuality of people aged 60+ in care institutions. We characterise the ageing process of this group in psychosexual and social terms. A review of the literature and legal documents concerning the functioning of the care system for older people, including both public and private social welfare homes, was presented. The analysis of previous Polish and foreign research allowed us to verify the extent to which the sexual rights of residents are respected. In addition, we pay attention to the substantive preparation of employees of 24-hour care facilities, especially in the case of unwanted sexual behaviour. We also consider the situation of older non-heteronormative people and the possibility of their sexual expression within the framework of formal long-term care. We identify four areas of future research: (1) comparative analysis of 24-hour public and private facilities in terms of respecting residents’ rights to privacy and intimacy; (2) examining how the provisions in legal acts are understood and implemented by employees of care institutions in the context of working with sexuality; (3) getting to know the competence of employees to plan interventions and support in the area of residents’ sexuality, as well as checking whether the C. Archibald (1994) model of action can be applied in Polish institutions; (4) describing the functioning of elderly non-heterosexual people in nursing homes.