Sexual health is essential to overall well-being across the lifespan, yet it is often not addressed in older adults. Sexually transmitted infection (STI) rates have consistently increased over the past several years, and this includes the older adult population. The older adult population is growing faster than any other age group. The purpose of increasing primary sexual health assessments of older adults is to identify at-risk behaviors and sexual health concerns, ultimately improving quality of life and overall health. Guided by the Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Care Services (PARIHS) framework, an educational presentation, and evidence-based screening tool were developed and presented along with guidelines and additional resources. Post-implementation data evaluation revealed that approximately 14% of patients screened were provided with an intervention. Interventions included sexual health counseling, STI behavior risk counseling, STI testing, HIV testing, hormone therapy, PDE-5 inhibitors, or referral. This evidence-based project confirmed the need for routine sexual health assessments in older adults and the importance of sexual health across the life span.

Keywords: sexual health, sexual dysfunction, older adults, geriatrics, ageism, baby boomers, primary care, providers, sexually transmitted disease or infection, HIV, screening tools, sexual health education, sexual health assessments, and barriers to sexual health screening.