Their only privacy is between their sheets. Privacy and the sexuality of elderly nursing home residents

This study which was based on hermeneutic phenomenology, investigated how paid caregivers in two nursing homes experienced older residents' sexuality. Caregivers acknowledged there were obstacles to residents fulfilling their sexual desires. The medical model of care still largely determines the norms and values within nursing homes and governs the actions of staff. Sexuality within the current medical model is not considered to be part of the primary caregiving role because sexuality is not deemed to play a vital role in the maintenance of bodily functions. Because they are geared toward the demands of basic body care, nursing homes are not inclined to create an environment conductive to the fulfillment of sexual needs.