Sexuality in residential elderly care facilities

Sexuality and intimacy are important topics in life, even at an old age. Yet it isn't evident for a residentiale care facility to allow or facilitate this. Caregivers often don't know how to respond.

Based on these observations, students and lecturers of the bachelor-after-bachelor programme Psychosociale Gerontology conducted this research at Flemish residential elderly care facilities. In 2015, 766 facilities were contacted. 393 caregiving employees filled in the questionnaire about attitudes towards sexuality and intimacy of their residents, and the way these actions are handled with.

Researchers:

• Ellen Van Houdenhove
• Els Messelis
• Jan Van Velthoven

Results of this research project were featured in different Flemish media (all articles in Dutch):

• Newspaper article in Het Nieuwsblad (to download, on the right)
• Newspaper article in Het Belang van Limburg
• Article by Ellen Van Houdenhove, Els Messelis and Jan Van Velthoven on Sociaal.Net
• Newspaper article in De Standaard