Book
Sex After Sixty: A Guide for Men and Women for Their Later Years
📖 Overview
Sex After Sixty addresses sexuality, relationships, and intimacy for older adults through medical facts and practical guidance. Written by pioneering gerontologist Robert N. Butler, the book directly confronts myths and misconceptions about sex in later life.
The text covers physical changes that occur with aging and their impacts on sexual function and satisfaction. Butler provides medical information about common health conditions, medications, and treatments that can affect sexuality, along with strategies for adaptation and communication between partners.
Social and emotional aspects of sexuality receive equal focus, including dating after loss of a spouse, starting new relationships, and maintaining long-term intimate connections. The book includes real examples from Butler's medical practice and research.
This straightforward guide approaches aging sexuality as a normal part of human development deserving of open discussion and understanding. The work aims to validate older adults' continued interest in and need for intimate relationships while providing practical tools for navigating changes.
👀 Reviews
There seem to be limited public reader reviews online for Sex After Sixty by Robert N. Butler. The book appears to be out of print and reviews from retail sites and Goodreads are scarce.
Readers appreciated:
- Clear, direct writing style free of medical jargon
- Inclusion of real case studies and examples
- Focus on both physical and emotional aspects
- Coverage of health conditions affecting intimacy
Main criticisms:
- Some information is outdated (published 1976)
- Limited discussion of same-sex relationships
- Heteronormative assumptions throughout
Available Ratings:
Goodreads: No ratings available
Amazon: Currently unlisted
WorldCat: Listed but no reviews
Due to the book's age and limited availability, meaningful reader sentiment analysis is difficult. More recent books on the topic may better reflect current medical knowledge and social perspectives.
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Better Than I Ever Expected: Straight Talk About Sex After Sixty by Joan Price The book combines research, interviews, and personal experiences to explore the realities of sex and aging for women.
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Sex Over 50 by Joel D. Block This resource examines the biological, emotional, and practical aspects of sexuality for mature adults.
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Better Than I Ever Expected: Straight Talk About Sex After Sixty by Joan Price The book combines research, interviews, and personal experiences to explore the realities of sex and aging for women.
Naked at Our Age: Talking Out Loud About Senior Sex by Joan Price Medical professionals and older adults share knowledge about maintaining sexual health and relationships in the later years.
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🤔 Interesting facts
🔸 Robert N. Butler coined the term "ageism" in 1969 and won a Pulitzer Prize for his book "Why Survive? Being Old in America" (1975).
🔸 The book was one of the first mainstream publications to openly discuss sexuality among older adults, helping break longstanding taboos when it was published in 1976.
🔸 Studies referenced in the book helped dispel the myth that sexual activity necessarily ends with age, showing that up to 70% of healthy people remain sexually active well into their 70s.
🔸 Dr. Butler founded the National Institute on Aging and served as its first director, significantly advancing research on aging and sexuality in later life.
🔸 The book addresses how common medications taken by older adults can affect sexual function - a topic that was rarely discussed in medical literature of the time.