Opinion Article
Addressing Sexuality in Dementia: A Challenge for Healthcare Providers
Gila Bronner*
Sexual Medicine Center, Department of Urology, Sheba Medical Center, Israel
- Corresponding Author:
- Gila Bronner
Sexual Medicine Center
Department of Urology
Sheba Medical Center
Tel Hashomer, Israel
Tel: 972 35305970/972 522590 161
Fax: 972 35747785
E-mail: gilab@netvision.net.il
Received date: January 26, 2015; Accepted date: February 28, 2015; Published date: March 08, 2015
Citation: Bronner G (2015) Addressing Sexuality in Dementia: A Challenge for Healthcare Providers. J Alzheimers Dis Parkinsonism 5: 180. doi:10.4172/2161-0460.1000180
Copyright: © 2015 Bronner G, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Human sexuality is increasingly recognised as an important aspect of health and quality of life. Regardless of age and health status, the need for intimacy, affectionate relationship and sexual satisfaction does not fade away. Dementia has a major impact on various dimensions of sexuality. Normal and inappropriate sexual behaviours, as well as the need for physical and emotional closeness are distressing for patients with dementia as well as their spouses, family members, caregivers and healthcare providers. Management of these sexual expressions demands a comprehensiveevaluation, and can be treated by non-pharmacological and pharmacological interventions. When sexual expressions are displayed, multidisciplinary professional collaboration may contribute to better assessment, lead to better intervention and may reduce stress among people with dementia as well as their families and healthcare providers.
