Responding to the sexual desires of older adults in residential environments is widely recognized as a challenge by care staff, administrators, and family members. This resource meets the challenge head on, exploring the issues surrounding sexual expression from all perspectives. It address the question of how, in an increasingly person-centered care culture, long-term care facilities balance individual resident rights against the needs and concerns of the community as a whole. Who decides what is appropriate or inappropriate, and how?

The first book to take a person-centered approach to resident sexuality in long-term care, this ground-breaking training tools represents sexual expression as a significant part of personality, explains why it is important to honor longings for intimacy, and provides strategies for teaching staff how to effectively, respectfully, and compassionately acknowledge those needs. It will enlighten anyone who believes sexuality vanishes with age and offers solutions for navigating this highly charged issue.

Informative, engaging, and instructive, this helpful resource builds upon case studies that illustrate potential issues surrounding resident sexuality in various long-term care settings. Each scenario creates opportunities for health discussion about how the staff handled the situation, what was done well and what wasn’t, and how to improve the outcomes. Throughout the book, best care practices for supporting resident sexuality are validated by research.

Long-term care administrators, nurses, social workers, counselors, direct care staff, ombudsmen, and others devoted to enhancing the quality of life in nursing homes will find answers to pressing questions surrounding sexuality, including

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  What is normal sexual expression in old age?
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  How does dementia affect sexuality?
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  What triggers inappropriate behaviors, and how can they be addressed and prevented?
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  What constitutes consent and/or competence?
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  How can lack of privacy be minimized in long-term care environments?
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  What concerns do LGBT residents bring to a long-term care community?
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  How can residents be protected from sexually transmitted diseases?
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  What do policies regarding sexual expression convey about a community’s commitment to resident quality of life?
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Valuable tools for staff training are included, such as reproducible handouts and group learning activities that encourage staff and managers to explore attitudes and biases about resident sexuality and to help organizations develop policies related to this fundamental need. Important take-away points are highlighted and sidebars offer effective solutions to common dilemmas surrounding sexuality in long-term care settings.

Place your order today and increase your sensitivity, awareness, and confidence in addressing an important dimension of resident life in the field of elder care.