Globally the population is increasing and rapidly increasing as a resulting people are living longer, more so healthcare has been improved, enabling them to live healthy lives. The elderly are also able to be active for longer, with some up to the eighth decade of their lives. There has been growing concerned to acknowledge that sexual and reproductive health is an essential component of the elderly peoples' lives. There have been increased incidences of sexually transmitted infections among the elderly in the world. In America, there has been an increase in new infections of HIV among older people; the center for disease control estimates that 21% of the new HIV infections were among people aged fifty and above (Tuddenham, 2016). According to the world health organization, 2.8million people aged above fifty years are living with HIV (Jennings, 2015).
The focus of sexually transmitted contagions in the elderly is not a priority in most healthcare systems. Some countries have no data on sexually transmitted diseases of people beyond fifty years. Fewer studies have been conducted on the reproductive health of the elderly with those implemented, highlighting the risk affecting this group. The lack of prioritization results in less attention by policymakers and other health stakeholders. The result is a few programs targeting the sexual and reproductive health of older people in society, consequently leading to an increase in infections. Many sexual ad reproductive health programs focus on the youth leaving out the elderly; with reduced fertility, the fear of conception is not there, leading to indulgence in unsafe sex practices. This group is also likely to suffer stereotypes and misconceptions related to reproductive health.
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Risk factors associated with sexually transmitted infections among the elderly
There are various risk factors associated with increased sexually transmitted diseases amongst the elderly. According to the center for disease control, there is limited information on how one can contract a venereal infection amongst the elderly. The male geriatric who happen to have sex with fellow men tend to be at a higher risk of contracting venereal diseases. Ignorance and lack of programs, especially for geriatrics, can be attributed to an increase in the number of cases among this group. Another factor is there is the elderly rarely get screened for sexually transmitted infections, and some may not seek medical care when they get symptoms.
An increase in sexually transmitted infections is also associated with the reduced immunity of the older people, hence influencing their capability to fight infections. At this stage in life, it is notable that some older people are single as a result of losing their partner or after getting a divorce. This state can lead to dating more than one partner, which intensifies their risks of a venereal infection ( Kim, Choe, Lee, Yoo, & Lee, 2019 ). This group also has medications such as Viagra, which help them during sex, unlike other age groups. The medicines, coupled with reduced fertility, increase their indulgence in sex, which in the absence of protection or safe sex, results in the transmission of infections. Misconceptions among this group also contribute to the spread of diseases. Among the elderly, they may not consider the use of condoms as they think their spouses are not at risk of sexually transmitted diseases more so oral and anal sex are not considered as ways of contracting sexually transmitted infections. Individual vulnerability to the number of information a person may have.
Various factors influence individual susceptibility, and they include; personal factors such as the education level and access to information. Subjective factors such as values, beliefs and behavioral factors and social factors also influence infection. Social factors are brought about by access to social amenities and benefits such as schools, healthcare, culture, and jobs, among others. The capability to adopt new preventive measures also influences exposure and level of risk. The factors also affect access to access to resources and social equipment.
Prevention of sexually transmitted infections in the elderly
Some possible prevention measures would include the development of programs targeting the elderly. The younger population has multiple programs targeting the prevention and management of sexually transmitted infections. Various stakeholders are working with young people to prevent unwanted pregnancies and transmission of sexually transmitted infections among young people. Such programs and efforts should be duplicated, but focusing on the elderly to curb the rising incidence of sexually transmitted infections among older people. The programs can focus on should also focus on health promotion through educating the elderly on preventive measures to enable them to be safe while with their sexual partners.
Regular screening of older people should also be done. The screen should be done during regular hospital visits. Questionnaires can be administered to verify who those who are sexually active so that screening can be done. Early identification of infections is critical in treatment. This way, all infections are treated during the early stages, and all cases can be identified. Data on sexually transmitted infections are also acquired, and hospital administrators and other relevant authorities have updated data through which they can make policies and develop interventions. Regular screening is also essential as the general population is also protected. Treatment of cases protects the partners who are not infected. It promotes safe reproductive health lifestyles. Regular screening should also be coupled with the distribution of products such as condoms to ensure people engage in safe sex. The provision of health education and products to enable them to have safe sex will reduce the rate of new infections among the elderly.
References
Jennings, A. (2015). Knowledge of Sexually Transmitted Infections among Older Veterans . Gerontology & Geriatric Research, 4 (2); 203. DOI: 10.4172/2167-7182.1000203
Kim, H. Y., Choe, H. S., Lee, D. S., Yoo, J. M., & Lee, S. J. (2019). Sexual behavior and sexually transmitted infection in the elderly population of South Korea. Investigative and Clinical Urology , 60 (3), 202-209.
Tuddenham, S. A., Page, K. R., Chaulk, P., Lobe, E. B., & Ghanem, K. G. (2017). Patients fifty years and older attending two sexually transmitted disease clinics in Baltimore, Maryland. International journal of STD & AIDS , 28 (4), 330-344.
