Talking about “the birds and the bees” may no longer be just for school-aged children. Behind closed doors, grandma and grandpa are still sexually active and sometimes even pay for sex.
Talking about “the birds and the bees” may no longer be just for school-aged children. Behind closed doors, grandma and grandpa are still sexually active and sometimes even pay for sex.
There is a misconception that since they are seniors, there is no interest in sex or they don’t have a sex drive. That couldn’t be further from the truth, said Tanya DePeiza, a service coordinator at a senior building on the South Side.
“They are just as active as when they were young. Some also are not fully retired and stay involved in activities. Life doesn’t end because of their age. When the money comes in, they like to flash it and act as sugar daddies,” DePieza said.
DePieza and DuShunn Bray, a manager at the building, notices the women who only come around during the first week of the month when government checks arrive for the residents.
The male residents are easy targets because they talk about it where they hang out, they wear their flashy clothes and spend the money on the women. And sometimes relatives of friends in the building will arrange for “meetings,” Bray said.
Since the building provides independent living for seniors, management cannot monitor or regulate the residents’ short-term guests, especially if no rules are breached, Bray said.
While there isn’t much that can be done to halt the activity, DePieza said she does offer information about safe sex and has condoms readily available.
“Sexually transmitted diseases come into play because none of them focus on pregnancy or safe sex. The women figure they don’t need protection because they can’t get pregnant. The men are sometimes with a different woman without protection and then oftentimes be intimate with their neighbors as well,” DePieza said, who includes healthy sex information in the building’s monthly newsletter.
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In photo: Maurice Williamson and DeDe Mays
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