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STDs and AIDS in Senior Citizens
Does Grandpa or Grandma Have a Venereal Disease?


By Avis Yarbrough, Associated Content

October 31, 2006

Takeaways
Senior citizens are not wearing condoms.
A lot of older men have multiple partners

Viagra is one of the reason that senior citizens are still able to be sexual active.

There is a widely held belief that as you get older your sex drive diminishes. But that is not necessarily the case in this day and age. The reason: the invention of Viagra. Here are some facts.

Facts about Senior Citizens and STD’s and HIV
Venereal diseases are spreading more than ever among senior citizens. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that people age 50 and older make up more than 10 percent of total AIDS cases in this country, and that HIV cases are increasing among people in their 60’s and 70’s. Also, it has been reported that during the last decade HIV cases has risen 500 percent among Senior Citizens, and AIDS cases among people over-50 have risen from 16,00 in 1975 to 90,00 in 2003. Now nearly 27 percent of people living with AIDS in America are 50 and older.

Facts about Viagra
The truth about impotence and older men is this: By their mid-to-late fifties 1 to 4 men are impotent. By their mid-to-late sixties more then half of men are impotent, and by their mid-seventies most men are impotent. In March 1999, Viagra exploded onto the market, and now, in 2006, 1 out of every 4 men is taking the little blue pill. Also, Viagra has a high percentage effective rate. Here are some numbers: Viagra works in 90% of sexual dysfunctional cases that have biological causes. Viagra has a 60 to 70% rate of effectiveness overall.

Why are Senior Citizens contracting STD’s or HIV?
-Remember, Senior Citizens did not come of age when sex education was being taught in public schools and, more often then not, are uninformed about Aids and HIV and how to protect themselves. 

- Usually having been married for a long period of time, people age 50 and older, found it unnecessary to wear a condom. Now due to divorce or a partner dying, they find themselves dating again and are unfamiliar or not use to protecting themselves(wearing condoms) . 

-A lot of older men date more then one woman at a time. 

-Older woman, no longer able to get pregnant, see no need to use any type of birth control, which includes condoms. 

-Some aging baby boomers still do drugs and are contracting HIV through intravenous drug use. 

-Young gays are having sex with older gay men and woman who don’t use condoms.

How can a Senior Citizen protect themselves?
First, and probably the most important thing is to be monogamous. 

Second, keep track of everyone you have been intimate with. Be sure to take down their address and phone number, and call them up once in a while to ask about their health. 

Third, always use a condom when having sexual intercourse and oral sex. 

Fourth, make sure to get yourself tested regularly for STD’s. 

Fifth, older men date younger woman, make sure, besides a condom, these women are on some type of birth control.

Being vibrant and still sexual vital is a great thing, but make sure to always protect yourself. Call the Senior Citizens hotline in your community to learn more information.


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