It's never too late to learn about lubricant.
Mary Jackson, educator for Northern HIV and Health Education Society, said there are a lot of seniors out there that don't know lube even exists, let alone how to use it.
"You want to have more sex with your wife? She'll enjoy it much more if you use this,"Jackson will bluntly say to a senior husband.
When she gets the nod, she quickly puts the lubricant into a brown paper bag because it's all about being discreet once the tough questions are asked and answered.
Jackson knows it's very important to talk to women who are menopausal or post-menopausal when things may not be quite the same as they once were.
"Sex without vaginal fluids can be very painful for a woman," said Jackson.
"It hurts."
And nobody wants to do something that hurts, added Jackson.
"If you're talking about healthy sexuality, a couple can continue to have sex and if a woman is involved having lube can make a lot of difference as far as comfort and enjoyment," said Jackson.
"Seniors just don't know about it."
The Northern HIV and Health Education Society had a booth at the always-popular Seniors Fair at the local exhibition in August and the reaction is always the same, Jackson said.
"They get really embarrassed when I bring it up but then they take it," said Jackson about the free lubricant she offers at her booth.
"Those are the things that are important to people. We all need the information no matter what age we are."
The Northern HIV and Health Education Society provides knowledge and will ideally go where six to 15 people gather, including seniors' centres, churches, women's groups and men's groups.
To make the information a bit more palatable, Jackson lightens it up by playing Seniors Sexual Jeopardy and there's a workshop called Celebrating Me that showcases a person's lifelong accomplishments and even she's even got a Seniors' Health Bingo game.
There are also straight information sessions on HIV and Hepatitus A, B and C.
"I am always thrilled to provide education to anyone interested," said Jackson.
For more information, call Jackson at 250-964-8558.
