Alzheimer’s

Historical, social, and political determinants put Indigenous people at a high risk for experiencing poor health as they age. As a population, they live less long than their mainstream counterparts, and have disproportionately high risk factors for chronic disease.

Last week I had the experience of attending a virtual dementia tour, which was eye-opening and inspiring- yet troubling in terms of ‘representing dementia’. We were greeted by a series of people who immediately sat us down and told us that we were going to learn what it’s like to be old, living with dementia, and residing in a long-term care institution.

Sex among older adults is a taboo subject. After five years as a gerontology major, I can count on one hand how many times sex and older adults have been addressed during my academic career. In fact, the times that sex and older adults have been addressed, the conversation usually shifted towards the direction that older adults have issues having sex. Outside of school, sex and aging is a subject most people would not even think to address.