Let’s talk about sex… and dementia
A new tool supporting aged care facility patients to express their sexuality was launched at the National Dementia Research Forum, held at Queensland University of Technology’s Garden’s Point campus.
A new tool supporting aged care facility patients to express their sexuality was launched at the National Dementia Research Forum, held at Queensland University of Technology’s Garden’s Point campus.
Director of QUT’s Dementia Collaborative Research Centre (DCRC), Professor Elizabeth Beattie, said the Sexuality Assessment Tool (SexAT) for residential aged care facilities is a questionnaire that helps nursing staff to recognise that intimacy and the expression of sexuality are fundamental aspects of a person’s wellbeing that continue to be important as we age.
“We hope the launch of this important resource will help residential aged care management, staff, residents (more than 170,000 across the country) and their families think about, and hopefully talk more frankly about, the ‘elephant on the table’ issue of sexuality and sexual expression,” she said.
“This issue is particularly salient for residents with dementia, who have compromised ability to express choices and fully understand their actions and consequences.”
Download the tool here.
