Intimacy and Sexuality in Institutionalized Dementia Care: Clinical-Ethical Considerations

Lieslot Mahieu, Luc Anckaert, Chris Gastmans

Intimacy and sexuality expressed by nursing home residents with dementia remains an ethically sensitive issue for care facilities, nursing staff and family members. Dealing with residents' sexual longings and behaviour is extremely difficult, putting a burden on the caregivers as well as on the residents themselves and their relatives. The parties in question often do not know how to react when residents express themselves sexually. The overall aim of this article is to provide a number of clinical-ethical considerations addressing the following question: 'How can expressions of intimacy and sexuality by residents with dementia be dealt with in an ethically responsible way?' The considerations formulated are based on two cornerstones: (1) the current literature on older peoples' experiences regarding intimacy and sexuality after the onset of dementia, and (2) an anthropological-ethical framework addressing four fundamental pillars of human existence namely the decentred self, human embodiment, being-in-the-world and being-with-others. The resulting considerations are oriented toward the individual sphere, the partnership sphere, and the institutional sphere. The continuous interaction between these spheres leads to orientations that both empower the residents in question and respect the complex network of relationships that surrounds them.