Iowa — A 78-year-old Iowa man's sex-abuse trial should prompt serious discussions about addressing the sexual needs of the elderly while preventing those most vulnerable from abuse, state and national experts said.
"You've got all this attention on this — so now is the time to make changes," said Gayle Doll, director of the Center on Aging at Kansas State University.
A jury on Wednesday acquitted Henry Rayhons, a retired farmer former state legislator, of sexual abuse for allegedly having sex with his wife after staff members at her nursing home in Garner, Iowa, warned him her Alzheimer's disease had left her unable to consent. He denied any wrongdoing. The unusual trial drew extensive national media coverage and debate.
Doll said the case highlights the need for care centers to set clear, specific policies on the subject, and to talk in detail with families about the issue.
Too many adult children still don't want to admit that their elderly parents have sexual desires and needs, even if short-term memory and other brain functions deteriorate, Doll said.
