The Senior Citizen:
The Shocking Discovery About Their Health Needs

When you hear the word senior citizen, if your mind immediately races to images of nursing homes, and Geritol, then what you are about to read will shock you.

Aging may seem to bring many social and emotional changes. But the one thing that it affects the least is sexuality.

A study done by the University of Chicago reveals that today's senior citizen remains sexually active well into the 70s and 80s. And it's a good thing too. Because it was discovered that intimate relationships has a staggering effect on health as you age.

This is why you must take good care of yourself throughout your retirement whether you are a man or a woman. The reason is your level of sexual activity will depend more on your health than it will on your age.

You need to reduce as much stress as possible in your life during retirement. It's bad enough that you may not be able to control diseases like diabetes and the hardening of the arteries.

Both of these things affect the blood supply in the body leading to sexual problems such as erectile dysfunction.

You need to keep your stress under control. There's no denying the fact that the circumstances that brings stress in your life may not always be under your control.

Such circumstances may include your partner's failing health, a financial setback etc. However, don't ignore it; because stress doesn't affect only your sex life. It is known as the silent killer.

Depression also warrants a close watch. When it becomes the culprit for lack of sexual drive, you may need the help of a sexual therapist or a medical professional.

You need to surround yourself with friends and loved ones who will provide you the support you need. This could be a good reason to justify making retirement communities part of your retirement planning after all.

Interestingly though, the social relationship issue seems to affect women the most. Here's why.

There are 72 men for every 100 women in the age group of 65 and older. Above 85 years age group, the number drops to 46 men per 100 women.

Also, whereas 78% of men in the age group of 75-85 have a spouse or other intimate relationships, only 40% of women do.

Thanks to the advances of the internet with online communities, and retirement communities etc., this problem has been a little easier to solve for some. So start surfing, ladies.

But the bottom line is your social relationships and more specifically your intimate relationships as a senior citizen greatly influence your health.

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