Before the Crisis: Sex, Aging, Parkinson’s & Dignity with Stephanie Wilson, MS

In this relaunch episode of Before the Crisis, Liz sits down with Stephanie Wilson, MS, Manager of Programs and Community Engagement for APDA Iowa, for a candid conversation about a topic many families, care teams, and senior communities avoid: sex, intimacy, and connection in later life.Stephanie brings her background in gerontology, neurology support, and Parkinson’s community programming into a wide-ranging discussion about how aging, Parkinson’s disease, dementia, medication changes, erectile dysfunction, caregiving, grief, and changing bodies can affect intimacy between partners. The conversation also explores APDA’s ParkinSex resource, a kit created to help people with Parkinson’s and their partners reconnect around physical and emotional intimacy.Liz and Stephanie talk openly about why older adults are often treated as if desire disappears with age, why that assumption is harmful, and why intimacy can include much more than intercourse. They discuss handholding, lying together, deep conversations, companionship, safe touch, and the emotional need to still feel wanted and connected.This episode also gets into the complicated questions families often do not know how to answer: What happens when one spouse has dementia? How do we think about consent, caregiving, and changing roles? What happens when one partner can no longer participate in intimacy the same way? And how can families start talking about these issues before they become a crisis?This is an honest, adult conversation for caregivers, adult children, senior living professionals, healthcare workers, and anyone who believes dignity does not end when bodies, relationships, or care needs change.Topics discussed include:Sex and intimacy in older adulthoodParkinson’s disease and relationship changesThe APDA ParkinSex kitDementia, consent, and caregivingMedication side effects and erectile changesSTIs and senior communitiesDating after lossFamily caregiving and dignityWhy sex education should not stop in middle schoolHow to make taboo conversations safer and less shame-filledDisclaimer: This episode is for educational and conversational purposes only and is not medical, legal, sex therapy, marriage counseling, or mental health advice. Listeners should speak with qualified professionals about their own medical, legal, relationship, or care-planning questions.