• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.31-49
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• 2008

This study has been performed to explore verbal and behavioral expression of sexual desires among male elderly residents who have been living in long tenn care facilities. There are three topics covered in this study; first, in what situations and how seriously do care workers encounter expression of sexual desires of the elderly residents? Second, what kind of negative consequences do they believe those sexual behaviors will lead to? Third, how can we implement defensive measures against the sexual behaviors? In this study, twenty three care workers working full time in five retirement and care facilities were asked about their experience and perception of the above study agendas, and answers of the qualitative interview were drawn as follow; first, the elderly residents apparently show a variety of sexual harassment and provoking behaviors such as sticking to specific women, physically touching and attacking, and induce obscenely activities against female residents, care workers, and volunteer visitors. Second, their sexual behaviors are often influenced by their isolated and abandoned emotionality as well as living situation in rural areas. Third, their sexual behaviors often critically affect care work plan and facility managements by severely discouraging female care givers and community supporters. Therefore in this study, suggestions and defensive measures were made as follows: first, education and counselling programs toward female workers and volunteers need to be developed, and the programs should cover psychological and behavioral mechanism of sexuality in later life. Second, self control plans need to be empowered toward the elderly residents; in the plans, the elderly residents shall be encouraged to evaluate primary cause and proper solutions of sexual behaviors of their peering residents. Third, combination of healthy housing and care facilities for frail elderly need to be integrated in a neighboring location, so that when residents and workers encounter extreme episodes of sexuality of healthy residents in a housing facility, the problematic sexual residents are partially transferred into a neighboring care facility and thereafter other residents and cafe givers are relieved from stressful contacts with the extremely sexual residents.