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Innov Aging
Innov Aging
innovateage
Innovation in Aging
2399-5300 Oxford University Press US 

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.2033
igaa057.2033
Abstracts
Session 5650 (Symposium)
AcademicSubjects/SOC02600
A Resident-Centered View of Sexual Expression in Long-Term Care
Syme Maggie 1 Cohn Tracy 2 Graf Allyson 3 1 
Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, United States
2 
Radford University, Radford, Virginia, United States
3 
Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, Kentucky, United States
2020 
16 12 2020 
16 12 2020 
4 Suppl 1 Program Abstracts from The GSA 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting “Turning 75: Why Age Matters”603 603
© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America.2020This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Abstract
Contrary to societal beliefs, older adults residing in nursing homes continue to have sexual interests. However, the right and need to engage in intimate relationships are often ignored in nursing homes, erring on the side of safety and prohibiting intimacy. This is due to ageist sexual stigma, under-educated providers, complexities of care, and fear of retaliation. Nursing homes are not attending to resident preference/choice when it comes to sexuality and intimacy, which ignores the consumer of services and is wholly inconsistent with person-centered care. However, in order to craft resident-centered/informed policies and practices, we must understand the needs and preferences of the resident/consumer. The following presentation will highlight findings from three separate mixed-methods studies that address the consumer, or how now and future residents understand and evaluate intimacy and sexuality in long-term care. We will address potential challenges, areas for intervention, and a unique consumer-oriented solution— sexual advance directives.