The knowledge and attitudes of staff toward the sexuality of older adults in Polish nursing homes

Introduction:
With an increasing number of older adults, the subject of sexuality has become of interest to both researchers and healthcare profes-sionals. The ability to express one’s sexuality is a basic human right and need regardless of one’s age, which demands measures to ensure that older adults have proper conditions and assistance to exercise it, including well-educated and professionally trained staff in nursing homes. The aim of this article was to investigate the relationship of knowledge and attitudes of nursing home staff and to assess the readi-ness and resources that characterise nursing homes in Poland.

Material and methods:
The data were obtained from a sample of 107 employees of nursing homes (89 women and 18 men) in urban areas of central and northern Poland. Participants’ knowledge about older adults’ sexuality and their attitudes towards this topic were measured using a Polish version of the Aging Sexual Knowledge and Attitudes Scale (ASKAS).

Results:
This study noticed a statistically significant relationship between participants’ knowledge on sexuality of older adults and their attitude toward sexuality of seniors. Furthermore, 5 the most prevalent myths regarding sexuality of older adults were found: in old age sexual activity is harmful to one’s health, the decline of sexual activity usually is not a symptom of depression among older adults, smoking is not linked to sexual activity, most women over 65 years old are unresponsive to sexual stimulation, the lack of a relationship with another person leads to a lack of sexual activity in late adulthood.

Conclusions:
Adequate knowledge regarding the sexuality of seniors is an important factor in developing positive attitudes toward the sexuality of the elderly, regardless of gender or age. Education is a key factor in helping older adults achieve an informed understanding about their sexuality in later life.