many changes in life that require ad- justment — you may change jobs or retire from work, relocate to a less stressful environment, or learn to adapt to changes in your health and physical well-being. Likewise, many people may find they need to make adjust- ments to their sex lives. But one thing they do not need to do, stresses Maggie Syme, PhD, MPH, an assistant professor at Kan- sas State University Center on Aging, is give up intimacy. “Sex is not something that has an expiration date. We engage


in, need and enjoy sexual intimacy throughout our lives,” says Dr. Syme, also a counseling psychologist who recognizes that this topic is one many healthcare practitioners are failing to ad- dress with older patients. She developed a questionnaire that helps healthcare providers — be they doctors, nurses, psy- chologists or anyone else working with older adults — raise and discuss sexuality issues with seniors more comfortably. For example, doctors are encouraged to begin by say-


ing something such as, “A lot of my patients are interested in improving their intimate lives. Is there anything that you need to discuss in this area?” Dr. Syme says this “nor- malizes the issue for older adults, which is important because a lot are ashamed to discuss their sex lives. That’s because in our society, we act as if older adults are not allowed to have a sex life.” This is partially due to negative images in the media and advertisements that send the mes- sage that sexuality is something reserved for the young and beautiful, says Dr. Syme, adding that television and other media are full of characters who reinforce the myth that seniors cannot or should not be sexually active. “There’s the Dirty Old Man, the Old Bitty, the Cougar. We’ve made


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