Common rates worldwide sexually transmitted infections (STI) is increasing among people over 50 years of age. In some cases, rates are rising faster than among younger people.

Last data from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that among people aged 55 and over, the incidence of gonorrhea and chlamydia, the 2 commonest sexually transmitted diseases, greater than doubled between 2012 and 2022.

Australian STI surveillance data reflects similar trends. Between 2013 and 2022, there was a gradual increase within the number of diagnoses of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis among people aged 40 and older. For example, in 2013, 5,883 cases of chlamydia were reported in Australians over the age of 40, compared to 10,263 in 2022.

AND 2020 survey of Australian women also found that between 2000 and 2018, there was a greater increase in sexually transmitted diseases among women aged 55-74 than among young women.

Although the general rate of common sexually transmitted diseases is highest among young adultsthe numerous increase within the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases among middle-aged and older people suggests that we must always pay more attention to sexual health throughout our lives.

Why are rates of sexually transmitted diseases rising among older people?

STI rates are is increasing worldwide in all age groupsand the rise within the number of middle-aged and older people is consistent with this trend.

However, the rise in STIs among older people is probably going due to a mix changing practices around sex and relationships and hidden sexual health needs in this group.

The “boomer” generation got here of age within the Nineteen Sixties and Seventies. They are the generation of free love and their attitude towards sexat the same time as they age, it is totally different from the generations that preceded them.

Taking into consideration average age of divorce in Australia is over 43 years old, and the Internet has opened up latest possibilities dating after separationit isn’t surprising that middle-aged and older people explore latest sexual practices or find multiple sexual partners.

It can also be possible that middle-aged and older people haven’t had exposure to sexual health education at college or don’t address current secure sex messageswhich are mainly geared toward young people. Therefore, condoms could appear unnecessary for individuals who are not trying to avoid pregnancy. Older people can too lack of confidence in negotiating secure sex or access to screening for sexually transmitted diseases.

Hidden sexual health needs

In modern life, the sexual lives of older people are largely invisible. It is usually related to aging and an older body loss of power and attractivenesswhich is reflected within the stereotype of older people as asexual and in derogatory jokes about older people having sex.

WITH some exceptionswe see few positive representations of older sexual bodies in film and television.

The sexuality of older people can also be largely invisible in public policy. In Australian Politics Review Researchers found that middle-aged and older people were rarely mentioned when it got here to sexual and reproductive health.

Sexual health policies tend to goal groups with the best rates of sexually transmitted diseases, which excludes most older people. Because middle-aged and older people are beyond reproductive age, they are also not included in reproductive health policies. This means a general lack of any policy regarding sex or sexual health among middle-aged and older people.

Moreover, sexual health policy focuses on risk fairly than sexual well-being. Sexual well-beingincluding freedom and the power to enjoy sexis strongly linked to the general health and quality of life of adults of all ages. Including sexual well-being as a policy priority would enable a deal with secure and respectful sex and relationships throughout adult life.

Without this priority, now we have limited knowledge about what promotes sexual well-being as people age and limited funding for initiatives to engage with midlife and older adults on these issues.

How can we support the sexual health and well-being of older people?

Most sexually transmitted diseases might be easily cured. Serious complications nevertheless, it might probably occur when sexually transmitted diseases go undiagnosed and untreated for long periods of time. If left untreated, sexually transmitted diseases will also be passed on to others.

Late diagnosis is just not unusual because some STIs may cause no symptoms and many individuals don’t routinely screen for STIs. Older heterosexual adults are generally less likely to accomplish that than other groups seek regular screening for sexually transmitted diseases.

For middle-aged and older people, STIs can also be diagnosed late because some are diagnosed too late doctors don’t start testing for fear of offending or assume that the danger of sexually transmitted diseases among older people is negligible.

Many doctors do are reluctant to talk about sexual health with older patients unless the patient specifically raises the difficulty. However, older people may feel embarrassed or uncomfortable raising issues related to sex.

A superb first step could be resources for healthcare professionals and patients to facilitate conversations about sexual health and STI screening with older patients.

We must also make sure that we address the rising rates of sexually transmitted diseases among middle-aged and older people. sexual health promotion targets these age groups and improves access to clinical services.

More broadly, it is crucial to consider ways to ensure sexual well-being is a priority in midlife and older maturity policy and practice.

A comprehensive approach to older adults’ sexual health that explicitly highlights the importance of sex and intimacy in people’s lives will enhance our ability to respond more effectively to sexual health and STI prevention across the lifespan.

Christmas will be extremely difficult for anyone who has lost a loved one in their life. Those who grieve the death of a loved one likely dread the holidays since it is often a joyful time reserved for spending time with members of the family and friends. The holidays may trigger painful feelings of longing and grief for the bereaved, and witnessing the happiness of others can trigger anger, resentment, sadness and pain, in addition to feelings of isolation and loneliness, especially in case you often enjoy indulging in holiday traditions. However, there are methods to cope with the holiday blues and feel supported, uplifted and supported during the holiday season. Here are some easy ways to cope with the complex sense of loss during the holiday season.

For those grieving during the holiday season:

Consider finding a grief support group: Joining a support group with other individuals who have experienced grief will be a great way to connect with others who understand what you’re going through.

Acknowledge your feelings: Sitting with your grief will be a complicated process, but it surely is essential to confront it with the hope of taking steps towards healing.

Talk to a therapist: If you’ll be able to’t cope with it, talking to a specialist will be very helpful.

Spend time with supportive family and friends. Surround yourself with individuals who make you are feeling loved, supported and never judged.

Get involved in your community: Volunteering or doing other activities to help others in need will help take your mind off the sadness and make you are feeling good.

Keep the spirit of your family members alive during the holidays: Decorate with their favorite colours or decorations. You may play their favorite Christmas songs, prepare their favorite dishes, take a look at their old photos and listen to their recordings.

Here’s how to deal with a grieving person:

Acknowledge their loss. There’s nothing unsuitable with telling them something about what happened. Avoid phrases like “at least,” “it was for the best,” or “they’re calm now.”

Be an lively listener. Let them discuss their family members and their sadness. Avoid giving advice and telling them how they need to feel.

Sit with them in their sadness: Sometimes it’s best to do or say nothing while a person is grieving. Let them feel your feelings.

Don’t tell them how to feel: Try not to impose their feelings by telling them how they need to feel. Instead, offer them a secure and soft space to land.

Offer real help: Instead of claiming, “Let me know what you need help with,” roll up your sleeves and offer practical support, like running errands, preparing a meal, cleansing up, giving them an Uber Eats gift card, or inviting them out for a drink. These small but doable acts of service will make their lives easier because most of their thoughts are consumed with grief and balancing life beyond the loss.

Be patient and understanding: Grief is a lifelong process that does not magically disappear overnight, because the person in your life who’s grieving needs gentleness, understanding and beauty. It is best to be compassionate and never judge their behavior or how they’re going through the grieving process.

Lisa Folawiyo is a force within the Nigerian fashion market. No other designer has spent the higher part of nearly twenty years creating designs that take the essential identity of traditional West African textiles and use them to construct living stories.

Born to a West Indian father and a Nigerian father, Folawiyo describes her beginnings as very creative. Her passion was drawing and sketching. She eventually became a lawyer and practiced for a yr. Folawiyo found solace in fashion since it was a natural calling for her. She credits her mother’s influence because the true source of her fashion journey. She remembers how, as a child, she watched her sew clothes for them and the way she sometimes spent hours in the stitching room.

“She was very special [about] how all four of her children presented themselves to the world in terms of what we wore, and subconsciously I became very aware of what I was wearing, how I wanted to look. Also, my mother is from Trinidad and Tobago and I think so [inspired] my love for colors and prints,” Lisa tells ESSENCE. Folawiyo adds that her late mother was also quite stylish.

Lisa’s journey on the planet of fashion has an interesting prologue – characterised by her willingness to talk out in regards to the developing history of fashion in Africa before the mainstream media took notice of her. At the time, emerging designers and their stories were emerging on the continent, and Folawiyo was one of them, launching her brand Jewel by Lisa in 2005. For her, there was a gap to fill, resulting from the necessity to satisfy a taste that she felt was not being met on the time. In her opinion, it provided a youthful and opulent approach to jewelry.

Next, Folawiyo wanted to spotlight Ankara fabrics, which were essentially the most familiar material for her to make use of on this Afrofuturistic situation; and she or he wanted it to look cool and chic, while also being perceived as modern. But it was also because she wanted to attain the revival of textiles – she loves prints and colours – which Ankara allowed her to experiment with. Over the years, she has managed to make this design more modern, reinterpreting the prints as she sees slot in each of her collections.

What began as Jewel by Lisa later became the label of the identical name in 2015, but with the identical philosophy of reinvention and celebration. Lisa Folawiyo’s brand aesthetic combines traditional African fabrics with modern clothing construction techniques. She accomplishes this feat by consciously giving women the chance to specific themselves through clothes that deviate from the norms of trends. Since its launch, the brand has been renowned for its approach to exquisite craftsmanship, especially in fluid embellishment and beadwork.

“The hand-decoration of each LF piece is based on the art of detail – hours of dedication and skill have been put into each smallest stitch, turning the material into something extraordinary. It is a labor of love that transforms the work from ordinary to unforgettable,” Folawiyo tells ESSENCE. This increases the worldwide visibility attributed to the brand and in addition makes it the brand of alternative for global celebrities resembling Lupita N’yongo and Solange Knowles who wear this individual label.

In almost twenty years, Folawiyo has produced over 30 collections, and it comes as a shock to her to say this out loud. But it is not nearly having over 30 collections, it’s about knowing that it has developed significantly over time. “With each new collection, each season, I learn new things,” he says. “I try my hand at new things, discover new ways, methods, ideas [tell] our history.” The designer also says she does this to specific loyalty to the brand’s core aesthetic.

The idea for her latest collection, “The Starting Line,” got here from a series of thoughts shortly after LF Coll 1 2024 at the tip of last yr. He tells me the way it focused on the thought of ​​winning the race. “We all want to win and that really interested me because that’s the state of existence. Even more so in today’s world where competition is so fierce and the world is getting more difficult every day and we are competing on so many different levels,” he says.

Folawiyo desired to make the previously mentioned collection more comprehensible to the audience, so it combined various games, focusing, nevertheless, on the Nigerian game ayo, which was boldly highlighted in graphics and designs. This was followed by a wonderful show, organized within the affluent atmosphere of Eko Atlantic, during which the artist combined charm with sportsmanship to create a stunning exhibit. The fundamental theme was history, a clash of vivid colours, intricate decorations and strange structures. Ball bust dress, detailed fringe, beaded bags, aso oke corset and fabric footwear.

“The starting line is a reminder that while we may feel the pressure of winning, enjoying the race is just as important,” says ESSENCE. “Life is a sport, and we are all participants in it, lighting up the racetracks, courts and arenas with our unique style.”

Lisa believes that fashion might be talked about greater than just the art of sewing. For example, the subject of overconsumption and the way rampant it’s within the industry has been on her mind currently. Addressing this view, she adds that she believes consumers have gotten aware of overconsumption and counting on the worth of clothing, while becoming obsessive about the thought of ​​sustainability. She says this has led to a concentrate on what’s special to them, beyond searching for their favorite brands or falling in love with designer pieces. Folawiyo also notes that that is a result of the shrinking global economy and its impact on the industry, resulting in the decline of fashion brands that usually are not backed by large conglomerates. She admits that designers like her are at all times adapting, finding what works for them while still creating designs which might be noteworthy.

He believes that the long run of Nigerian fashion is strikingly vivid, especially as an increasing number of people gravitate towards what designers say because that’s what fully shapes the history of fashion; As designers, they create these pieces to expand the alternatives of what to wear, in addition to to visualise Nigerian culture, history and its social influences. “Fashion is fun, exciting, fantasy and whimsy, but sometimes we don’t realize it culturally [it] it is a key part of culture, history and marking time and moments,” he explains.

2024 marks the nineteenth yr for Lisa Folawiyo’s brand and Folawiyo herself, who’s grateful for the fervour that keeps her on the clock yr after yr. “I’m so grateful that I have even more passion than when I started and it keeps the wheels turning,” she tells ESSENCE.

“Every day I wake up really excited to come to the studio, design and work with my team. I’m grateful to still be here. It’s nice to know that people are inspired, that they’re really passionate about what we do, the authenticity and the real commitment to the brand, and I think it’s uplifting that we’re here and still have so much to say.” adds Folawiyo.