Enduring heart – a love affair at 60
Think you’re too old to fall in love? Well, here is Enduring Heart to prove you wrong and debunk some myths about older people. Read her experience of passion and romance at 60.
Posted by Elderjuice
on August 7, 2012. Filed under Lifestyle.
Posted with the tags:love, relationshipsYou can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
Courtesy of Candida Performa
Think you’re too old to fall in love at 60 or over? Well, here is Enduring Heart to prove you wrong and debunk some myths about older people. Read her experience of passion and romance at 60.
At the age of 60 I’ve found myself in one of the most intensely passionate and romantic relationships of my life. But old people aren’t supposed to fall in love, are they?
Yet here I am re-discovering (or discovering for the first time) the joys and heartaches of love and, yes, sex at an age when society and media would have us believe we are past it.
Surely there must be other mature people, men and women going through the same thing? After all, love isn’t just for kids.
Well I think there are and I have decided to write about my late-life love affair. My story won’t be too different from many others but it’s not a story that goes easily with the usual image of a 60 year old woman, I’m sure I don’t need to tell you about those stereotypes.
Survey
According to a recent survey of nearly 2000 people over 65, 62.3 per cent of men and 37.4 per cent of women are sexually active.
The National Health and Sexuality Survey looked at the sexual practices of senior citizens in Spain but I’m guessing those numbers might apply to more than just Spain.
And given the surprising strength of my newly reborn libido, I’m also wondering if those numbers might be a little low, especially for women.
Love
I am not a therapist or counselor. I claim no understanding of the psychological or biological impact of mature love and sex. I just know how it affects me.
I intend to tell you my story of a new love at sixty with all the highs and lows. I’m sure there will be doubts, fears and worries but also joy and laughter and happiness.
I am hoping to tackle the issues that affect us as older people – some of those could be a bit thorny.
Not everyone wants to deal with issues around sex, older body images, fears, fidelity, infidelity, family backlash, broken hearts, success stories… everything to do with passion and romance unique to this time in our lives.
I’m sure my story is not unique so please respond if you find anything strikes a chord. Or if you have an alternative experience of love and relationships in your 50s, 60s and beyond, please share it – it can only help everyone.
Perhaps together we can dispel some myths and gain the confidence to enjoy a part of our lives that is not usually publicised.
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3 Responses to Enduring heart – a love affair at 60
Leave a Reply
Douglas Alexander
August 7, 2012 at 10:08 pm
I agree – why should we oldies be consigned to oblivion sexually?
Lavish
August 11, 2012 at 5:40 pm
I read this in the Times the other day:
Is there an age at which sex stops completely?
Sex won’t stop unless you want it to. Elderly people don’t get included in sex surveys because they are difficult to access and everyone presumes that they have given up on sex. But in my survey of people aged over 65, 42.9 per cent said they are having sex weekly and 8.6 per cent are having sex daily. Possibly because there aren’t too many 85 to 95-year-olds surfing the net I had only four respondents in that age group . Sustaining sex in later life requires considerably more effort and dedication but, as one elderly gentleman pointed out, “My impression is that we now both have longer, more intense orgasms, possibly because of the care taken to ensure it happens.”
Enduring Heart
August 11, 2012 at 7:01 pm
Thanks for the comments, Douglas and Lavish.
And thank you for the information from The Times article, Lavish. I think it’s findings are spot on…sex doesn’t stop unless you want it to, or perhaps your partner wants it to. In upcoming articles I’m going to be talking about the general perception younger people have regarding the sex lives of older people, as well as the realities of love and sex at this age, at least what I’ve found to be true for me.
I hope you continue to read and comment.
EH