COVER STORY open to the opportunity and had much more frankness about it.” And the best part about sex in her 60s? “The fact that I still enjoy it, love. It’s not a chore.” Her advice to other 60-year-olds is: “It’s good for your health. Full stop. Don’t give it up.” Dr Barrett says wellbeing is about being in the best possible state of health, and that includes sexuality. “So for an older person, that might be feeling really confident about their body, knowing their body, understanding the changes that are happening with their body over time, and with disease, finding ways of living with that so that they can still enjoy their lives,” she says. “It might be access to information about internet dating and safety, information about STIs, information on how to adjust to sexual changes if they have, say, diabetes.” US author and advocate for ageless sexuality Joan Price who spoke at last year’s Let’s Talk About Sex conference on relationships and intimacy as we age, says nearly every life event that occurs brings some sexual challenge, from medical conditions, to losing the spice in long-term relationships, or being single. “Men are most bothered by erectile problems; women seem to be most bothered by not feeling desire the way they used to,” says Price, commenting on her book The Ultimate Guide To Sex After Fifty. “Everyone is affected by medical conditions, slower arousal, and often more difficulty reaching orgasm.” But, she says, “We don’t have to give up the joys of sexual arousal, orgasm, and intimacy just because we’re wearing wrinkles and have some health problems”. Brisbane-based Dr Michael Gillman, whose practice focuses on male sexual health, agrees. “If you do have a sexual problem, there is good medical treatment stroke.” He says men should get yearly check-ups from the age of 40. “The analogy that we’ll often use is these very same men will take their car in for a service every 10,000 kilometres (but not themselves), which is stupid but that’s what happens.” Still, he says, there has been an improvement from about five or 10 years ago when less than 10 per cent of men who had erection problems would see a doctor. “Now, my gut feeling would be well over 25 per cent so it’s a good improvement,” he says. Other issues can contribute to sexual problems among men – including lowered libido, which might be caused by a reduction in testosterone, sleep apnoea, underactive thyroid or depression, Dr Gillman says. “From a psychological point of view, it can cause a decrease in libido because the thing’s not working; then men who retire and trying to adjust to the retirement life and being at home, causing stress and anxiety, can in turn contribute to low sex drive.” He says doctors can refer people to psychologists or specialists if necessary. “We also then have people who are sexual therapists, and the doctor can actually refer people to them under a health care plan so it can be funded by “I come from a background of very little education on that level. My mother gave me a book about how frogs multiply … there was never any discussion about what sex is, let alone does it happen” available but you need to go in and get assessed as to what the problem is, exclude anything that could be a problem down the track, and get treated,” Dr Gillman says. “As we get older, 60 per cent of men will have some degree of difficulty getting an erection,” he says. “There’s a variety of reasons why – just age, if they have diabetes or high blood pressure or high cholesterol, or if they’re overweight if they smoke – all these things can contribute to erection problems. “In fact, if a person’s erections go off, it’s usually a sign there’s some problem with blood flow… It may be the first warning sign that this person is at risk of an early heart attack or 1300 551 997 www.goseetouring.com Medicare, which a lot of people are not aware of…but it has to go through your normal general practitioner.” Dr Gillman says there’s no such thing as normal. “Age should be no barrier for people to have sex. If they want to have sex into their 60s, 70s and 80s, and they’re otherwise fit and healthy, there’s no reason not to do so,” he says. The not-for-profit organisation Jean Hailes for Women’s Health says about 60 per cent of women in Australia report one or more sexual problems, which can be caused by age, menopause, medical conditions and medications, depression, anxiety, previous sexual abuse, a decrease in the quality of relationships, and lifestyle. Treatment and management means first acknowledging the problem, finding a qualified health care professional and discussing a plan of action, such as hormone replacement therapy, changing medications with fewer side-effects on sexual function; treatment of symptoms; and counselling. The organisation says social factors, such as what is considered appropriate at certain ages, can also affect a woman’s experience of sexuality and sex over her lifespan. Dr Barrett says a lot of problems arise from society not recognising older people’s sexuality. “We don’t value our own ageing, we don’t value older people as a society,” she says. “We don’t value ageing bodies and I think all of that contributes to a sort of general perception out there that older people Please call us for full itinerary details Prefer to travel independently? Call us for a quote TERMS & CONDITIONS *Price is per person Twin Share fully inclusive. Single Supplement applies. Credit card surcharges apply. Deposit of AUD$500-$800 per person is required to secure tour. 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