Discussion of the film Queen at Sea

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Queen at Sea was presented as a nuanced exploration of intimacy, eroticism and sex in dementia. Its central dilemma concerns how to respond when a person with dementia wants sexual contact but may no longer be able to give consent, while such non-verbal intimacy might still benefit them.

Actress Juliette Binoche and director Lance Hammer also discussed the film and Alzheimer’s disease. They said that accepting dementia was important and that the belief in being able to control everything was an illusion; Binoche added that she was relying on something greater than themselves rather than panicking about dementia.

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Health

Call to discuss intimacy and sexuality in dementia care

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Health psychologist Frans Hoogeveen and elderly-care sexologist Sara Vegt argued on Nieuwsuur that care workers should discuss the intimate and sexual needs of people with dementia and their partners more openly, both at home and in nursing homes. Hoogeveen said case managers often avoid the subject and that the belief that older people no longer need sex is a misconception. The discussion also addressed the film *Queen at Sea*, in which the partners disagree about whether a woman with advanced dementia can have a sexual relationship. Vegt said that dementia does not automatically mean someone is unable to consent to an intimate or sexual relationship. Care workers should carefully assess whether both people want the relationship, using their behaviour and body language, and should protect anyone who appears unwilling or distressed. Intimate relationships between nursing-home residents can cause pain for partners and children, but Vegt said that a positive relationship should not automatically be ended at their request because the residents also have rights. Hoogeveen and Vegt acknowledged that interpreting signals is difficult and that views differ within elderly care.

Health

Podcast discusses sexuality and intimacy among older people with dementia

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A new episode of the podcast De Dag discussed the sexual desires and need for intimacy of older people with dementia, an issue portrayed in the film Queen at Sea. The episode examined how families and care workers deal with the subject and who decides whether a person with dementia can pursue a sexual relationship or keep such matters private. Care editor Floor Ligtvoet and Micky Las van Bennekom, a specialist in elderly medicine at AMSTA, discussed the taboo surrounding the subject and how it is addressed in nursing homes. The episode was available through NPO Listen and other podcast apps.