Report on Tuesday of a 91-year-old Portuguese woman who died while having a “freaky sex game” with her 49-year-old married male neighbour resurrects the question if elderly folks should still have sex.

According to the New York Daily News, the granny from Aveiro, Portugal, was found in her bed with no clothes from the waist down. Beside her was an unspecified sex toy, presumably a dildo or vibrator. Portuguese daily Jornal de Noticias reports that the old woman’s genitals had severe injuries that authorities believe were caused by the sex toy.

Ana Martins, the neighbour who discovered the nonagenarian’s body, noticed two small bruises on her face, blood on the sheets and a photo of her deceased husband, a sailor, resting on her chest. Despite the advanced age of the woman, she has a reputation for joking with men and is very physically active, Martins shares.

While their male neighbour, who had fun with the widow, was initially arrested after the police confirmed it was his DNA on the semen in the woman’s house, he was eventually released on bail because of the judge’s findings that the widow died from asphyxia, according to autopsy results. The court considered what happened an accident, while police added there was no forced entry.

Elderly people indulging in sexual activities should not surprise their adult children and grandchildren since a new study, released in early 2015, found that 54 percent of men and 31 percent of women in their 70s and 80s report having sex at least twice a month. The study, published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior, had more than 6,200 respondents from England between 50 and 90 years old.

The research also confirmed what is known by science – 39 percent of the time, the men struggled to have an erection and 32 percent lacked sex drive, while 27 percent of women failed to reach orgasm. But 31 percent of males and 20 percent of women admit to kissing and petting on a regular basis.

“It suggests to the health professionals not to just assume that they would necessarily be sexually inactive,” says David Lee, lead author of the study and research fellow at Age UK, quotes Medical Daily. He proposes extending and not just ignoring the sexual health and well-being of seniors.

Lee says doctors should now consider asking diagnostic questions relevant to the seniors’ health, including their sex life, which some younger practitioners, he admits, feel it inappropriate to ask an older patient. He notes that many people still find old-age sex funny, disgusting or non-existing. However, results of the study has the potential effect of breaking down inter-generational barriers about old-age sexuality, Lee contends.

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