Abstract

SALDARRIAGA CANTILLO, Alejandra. Old age and love denied. Rev Med Cine [online]. 2021, vol.17, n.1, pp.71-75.  Epub Mar 29, 2021. ISSN 1885-5210.  https://dx.doi.org/10.14201/rmc20201717175.

Consume my heart away; sick with desire

And fastened to a dying animal

It knows not what it is; and gather me

Into the artifice of eternity.

Love and sexuality are relatively unexplored areas of medicine, where myths and taboos may prevail over empathy. This applies to all stages of life, mainly for old age. The expression of sexuality in older adults is ignored, not to say that it is often denied, rejected and hindered by society.

There is an indissoluble nexus between history, medicine and literature, which allows us to analyze the myths and prejudices related to old age, sex and love. Through some literary examples I reflect on this issue, taking into account the phenomenon of world population aging.

Overcoming these prejudices can free our older adults from the unnecessary suffering of not being able to love and not being able to be loved. As a society we have the duty to understand and work so that love in old age is not a denied reality.

Keywords : old age; love; sexuality; poetry; literature.

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