Sexuality is at the core of who we are and has an impact on our lives in so many ways. It does not stop once we hit the age of 60 or 70 or 90 or even 100 despite the myths and assumptions of society. Sexual desire does not necessarily dissipate with age, but the physical, cognitive, and psychosocial changes that can occur with aging may interfere with sexual outcomes. As health care professionals we may feel a level of discomfort when discussing issues of sexuality with older patients; student nurses are no different. Student nurses report a level of discomfort when completing a sexual assessment with a patient and even more so with the older patient.

Reflect and discuss the following questions:

What makes you uncomfortable when you talk with your clients about issues of sexuality and why? Discuss the impact that your uncomfortableness can have on your patient interaction and communication.

The main explanation is that it is completely his/her personal preference and it is unacceptable to ask about it, but it may be unavoidable due to treatment regimens. 

This is because of the feeling of hurt if the patient has some kind of sex life issues, such as erectile dysfunction or impotence.

Question 2

• It can make the conversation awkward

It might be uncomfortable to talk about sex. It may be uncomfortable because in our society, sex is taboo to speak about. Americans have stigma about bodies and sexuality, so freely talking about sex and sexuality can create feelings of awkwardness.

• It can make the conversation ineffective

If you are communicating badly about the sexuality, then this can make the conversation ineffective

• It can lead to poo contact between patients and nurses

If nurses have lack of knowledge about sexual health and they have the attitude and belief that sexual health is private and not a priority then this can lead to poor communication between the patients and the nurse.

• It can lead to inappropriate compilation of medical history

The consequences of inappropriate sexual expression and knowledge can lead to inappropriate compilation of medical history.

• Patients cannot get an opportunity to share their feelings

The feeling of uncomfortableness when dealing with patients can make them unable to share and express their powerful feeling about their feelings too.