The main objective of this project was to create an educational video series (5 short video’s) by and for older adults on the topic of sexuality and intimacy in later life. We did this in order to: (1) increase knowledge about sexuality and intimacy in later life among older adults, educators and other involved parties, (2) diversify the perception of the subject within Dutch and Belgian society, and (3) break prevailing societal taboos about this topic.
Based on our research we know that educators and older adults lack life stage-specific knowledge about sexuality and intimacy in later life. The available knowledge remains limited to restrictive stereotypes about asexual older people or to medically related problems. This leads to sexual age discrimination and stigmatization. Furthermore, older people experience little access to relevant information about sexuality and intimacy in later life and do not feel free to share their perspectives and experiences. The societal imagery about ageing and sexuality in later life does not match a broad scale of experiences of older adults themselves. This leads to the exclusion of older adults' voices on the subject and undermines their right to sexual self-expression and comprehensive sexual education. This project addressed the urgent need of older adults and of educators working with them for life-stage specific, comprehensive and inclusive knowledge about sexuality and intimacy in later life.