Intimacy for older adults in long-term care: a need, a right, a privilege-or a kind of care?

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dc.contributor.authorSchouten V
dc.contributor.authorHenrickson M
dc.contributor.authorCook CM
dc.contributor.authorMcDonald S
dc.contributor.authorAtefi N
dc.date.available2021-06-22
dc.date.available2021-05-26
dc.date.issued2022-09-28
dc.descriptionNo commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ
dc.description.abstractBackground To investigate attitudes of staff, residents and family members in long-term care towards sex and intimacy among older adults, specifically the extent to which they conceptualise sex and intimacy as a need, a right, a privilege or as a component of overall well-being. Methods The present study was a part of a two-arm mixed-methods cross-sectional study using a concurrent triangulation design. A validated survey tool was developed; 433 staff surveys were collected from 35 facilities across the country. Interviews were conducted with 75 staff, residents and family members. Results It was common for staff, residents and family members to talk about intimacy and sexuality in terms of rights and needs. As well as using the language of needs and rights, it was common for participants to use terms related to well-being, such as fun, happiness or being miserable. One participant in particular (a staff member) described receiving intimate touch as a ‘kind of care’—a particularly useful way of framing the conversation. Conclusion While staff, residents and family frequently used the familiar language of needs and rights to discuss access to intimate touch, they also used the language of well-being and care. Reframing the conversation in this way serves a useful purpose: it shifts the focus from simply meeting minimum obligations to a salutogenic approach—one that focuses on caring for the whole person in order to improve overall well-being and quality of life.
dc.description.publication-statusPublished
dc.identifierhttp://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000728608200001&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=c5bb3b2499afac691c2e3c1a83ef6fef
dc.identifier.citationJOURNAL OF MEDICAL ETHICS, 2021
dc.identifier.doi10.1136/medethics-2020-107171
dc.identifier.eissn1473-4257
dc.identifier.elements-id446872
dc.identifier.harvestedMassey_Dark
dc.identifier.issn0306-6800
dc.publisherBMJ Publishing Group
dc.relation.isPartOfJOURNAL OF MEDICAL ETHICS
dc.rights© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021
dc.subjectsexuality
dc.subjectgender
dc.subjectaged
dc.subjectrights
dc.subjectethics
dc.subject.anzsrc1199 Other Medical and Health Sciences
dc.subject.anzsrc1801 Law
dc.subject.anzsrc2201 Applied Ethics
dc.titleIntimacy for older adults in long-term care: a need, a right, a privilege-or a kind of care?
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.notesNot known
pubs.organisational-group/Massey University
pubs.organisational-group/Massey University/College of Health
pubs.organisational-group/Massey University/College of Health/School of Social Work
pubs.organisational-group/Massey University/College of Humanities and Social Sciences
pubs.organisational-group/Massey University/College of Humanities and Social Sciences/School of Humanities, Media & Creative Communication
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