There's no expiration date on sex.
That's the message California-based "senior sexpert", Joan Price, is delivering at the Let's Talk About Sex, Relationships and Intimacy as We Age conference in Melbourne.
"I am going to talk about embracing and celebrating sexuality life long," the 71-year-old writer and blogger told AAP ahead of the inaugural international conference on Tuesday.
The conference, put on by Alzheimers Australia Vic and COTA Victoria, aims to challenge taboos about sex, seniors and dementia.
With books including Naked at Our Age: Talking Out Loud about Senior Sex, Ms Price aims to inspire independent older adults who "may be giving up on sex because the old ways don't work the way they used to".
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"Our culture's idea that only young, unwrinkled hard bodies are objects of sexual desire is not true."
Older people often need "an attitude adjustment", to acknowledge they are worthy of finding a partner or partners, if that's what they want.
"We have internalised so many of the stereotypes - `oh he is not going to want me' - what about all about all of us who are single now either through death of a partner or some other reason," she said.
"We need to empower ourselves to go after whatever it is we are looking for - whether it is friends with benefits, a long term committed relationship, a new love, lots of people to date, no strings sex - any of these might be what we are looking for and we are all different."
Online resources such as dating websites are definitely a tool for older people.
"We do need to embrace technology or we will probably stay home and eat icecream," she said.
"The whole reason I got into this profession talking and writing about older age sexuality is that at age 57 I met and fell in love with a man who was 64.
"We had the most delicious, hot sexy relationship and I thought at the time, why is this such a well kept secret?
"Why isn't everybody talking about how great sex can be at our age?
"Was it the same as young people sex? No, but in many ways it was better."
