You see an older couple walking hand in hand down the street, staring into each others eyes and grinning. Their hands are clasped.” Ah, cute,” you think. Then they giggle and – kiss. Yikes! Aren’t they kind of old for that?
Our society has marginalized people over fifty when it comes to love and sex. The “ick” factor is natural, when one thinks of his or her parents. Who wants to think they ever did that? Of course the fact that you and your siblings exist is a clue, but still, it’s just something most of us don’t care to think about.
But parents age. Some are widowed or divorced and they remarry. Still, we’d rather not know too much information about their intimate life.
Then there’s your grandparents. Yeah, your grandparents. Most of us have seen stories where a couple of elders are getting married at the local nursing home. He’s 81 and she’s 86. We vacillate between thinking “cute” and “what are their families thinking, allowing this?” We wonder if they are clear enough, mentally, to be getting married.
And that, of course, is the issue. With people living longer in assisted living and nursing homes, more romances among elders are blossoming. Just what does the home allow these folks to do? How intimate can they get without getting into trouble with administration and families? What are their rights as adults?