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STDs are rising among US seniors,
prompting health experts to increase safe-sex education among this demographic.
Local officials like Mary Jay,
disease-intervention specialist at the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department,
believe most seniors have never been targeted with messages about the
importance of safe sex. “The gay male population got the message of using
protection,” on account of the AIDS epidemic, she said. “But culturally, [HIV]
has not taken the same toll in the heterosexual population.”
Jerry Kerr, HIV prevention
coordinator of northwest Ohio, said cultural mores can hinder even those
seniors who understand the importance of safe sex. “Don’t assume anything about
your partner. Go get tested. If you don’t do that, [use] a condom,” he urged. “We
encourage people to examine their priorities and put their health above any
embarrassment.”
Another problem is the misperception
by many, including some health care providers, that seniors are not sexually
active. Dr. Murthy Gokula, a geriatrician and assistant professor in the
Department of Family Medicine at the University of Toledo Medical Center, cited
information from the guide “Reichel’s Care of the Elderly” indicating that 71
percent of men and 51 percent of women age 60 and older are sexually active.
“Doctors think it’s not important to
talk about sexual activity,” said Gokula, who also is director of St. Luke’s
Hospital Geriatrics Fellowship Program. “I teach medical students to ask that
question.” Sexual activity inquiries “should be a screening question for all
geriatric physicians; [however] only about 10 percent to 12 percent [of
doctors] ask,” he noted.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
