Older adults are using online communities to share sexual experiences more frequently, a study published in the Journal of Leisure Research showed.
About 2,500 sex-related posts from 14 English-speaking online communities with a mean age of 64.5 were analyzed in the study, said Galit Nimrod, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism at University of Illinois.
“We found that people used these discussions to ask for advice, and sharing experiences,”
Nimrod told McKnight’s. “Once people are anonymous and invisible, people just go wild.”
Although posts generally did not have many comments, some attracted more than 1,000 views. Some of the seniors noted they had received little sex education in their youth. While many were worried about their health limitations, the communities helped them explore what was possible, such as masturbation or cuddling with a partner, researchers found.
“Treating older adults that they are ‘too old’ to have a sex life troubled me,” Nimrod said. “But in general, the communities had a great impact on the participants.”
From the August 05, 2015 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
