Why wouldn’t they? They’re people. But society’s stereotypes for older people don’t connect sex and seniors.

That’s why one of the most emailed stories in the country this morning was about the first comprehensive national survey of seniors’ sexual attitudes and activity. Conducted by the University ofChicago, it was published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

According to the study, frequency of sexual activity dropped only slightly between the late 50s up to the early 70s. And more than half of those in the oldest age group €“ 75 to 85 €“ who were sexually active reported having sex at least two to three times per month, and 23 percent reported having sex at least once a week. There’s a lot of beneficial information in this survey that will be helpful in improving people’s lives, opening communications lines between people and their medical provider, and breaking down ageism Study co-author Edward Laumann, coauthor of the study and the George Herbert Mead Distinguished Service Professor in Sociology at the University of Chicago, said in HealthDay that “The linkage with sexual health is closer to other health issues and is not tied directly to aging per se. Sexual health, when it begins to deteriorate, may be an important warning sign, because it may be an early warning sign of more profound health problems.” Cornell University has developed a very informative web site on sexuality and seniors.