Abstract

Recently, in the Netherlands, more attention has been paid to the intimate and sexual needs of older adults in their private home environment as well as in long-term care. It is well known that a person-centered approach is necessary to improve the quality of care provided to older adults. Several tools have been developed to support older adults’ intimate and sexual needs. Despite this, in practice, there is still a lack of understanding amongst healthcare professionals (HPCs) and organizations how to use these tools in specific situations. Matching the right tool with the right organization, HPCs, older adults and their loved ones is essential to provide person-centred intimate and sexual support to older adults. In a 2-year applied innovation project “Intimacy and Sexuality in the Care of Older Adults” (subsidized by the Dutch government) and through the process of co-creation between older adults and HPCs an evidence-based guideline will be developed to support older adults’ intimate and sexual needs within their private homes and long-term care environments.

Keywords:Older adult; Intimacy, Sexuality, Person-centred, Co-creation, Healthcare professionals (HCPs)