Where's the Priority? Goodness Gracious!!!

Never too old for good sex life

KUALA TERENGGANU: Sex is not just for the young and an inaugural workshop has been organised to rejuvenate the sex lives of elderly couples in Terengganu.

A host of health specialists and geriatricians, including renowned sex therapist Prof Dr Mohd Ismail Mohd Tambi, have been invited as facilitators in the pioneer workshop to start tomorrow in Setiu. Some 300 senior citizens are expected to take part.

The pioneer workshop, a brainchild of the Terengganu Family Development Foundation (YPK) comprises a series of courses with modules exclusively designed for elderly couples to bring back the joy of sex in their marriage.

One focus was on how the participants should maintain a high level of self-hygiene and what to wear when the couples were together.

YPK director Mohd Shafaruddin Mustafa said the workshop was aimed at correcting the perception of many that elderly couples had had enough romance after being married for decades.

"Many of them are lonely although their spouses live with them," he said in an interview.

In most cases, couples had strained relationships in their twilight years as they slept in separate bedrooms and focused on other matters, mainly the welfare of their children and grandchildren.

"This is unhealthy as elderly couples could still continue to have vibrant intimate relationships especially with all kinds of therapy and health supplements available these days," Mohd Shafaruddin said.

He also observed that senior couples easily get agitated with each other, probably due to their own aging process which could strain their union.

"All these can be prevented if they were given tips on how to make their twilight years more exciting through renewed intimacies."

Mohd Shafaruddin lamented that elderly couples also seldom communicate with each other and were very embarrassed to openly talk about their health issues like erectile dysfunction or even menopause.

"Through the workshops, we hope those with health problems could seek help from a panel of health specialists. The first session received an overwhelming response, and we believe those in other districts would be just as eager," he said.