ABSTRACT
For most of us, after the fifth decade of life all illusions of invulnerability are
changed. The first challenges begin with the experiences of illness-heart disease,
diabetes, cancer-that forever alter the spontaneity and ease of sexuality and
relationships in adulthood. This chapter will describe the changes that illness
brings to sexuality as men and women age. There is loss, but there can also
be a deepening intimacy as couples and individuals face the new normal of
sexuality and aging.
