APDA Launches 3-Part ParkinSex Kit for Couples With Parkinson's as Intimacy Often Declines
Updated
Updated · USA TODAY · Jul 15
APDA Launches 3-Part ParkinSex Kit for Couples With Parkinson's as Intimacy Often Declines
3 articles · Updated · USA TODAY · Jul 15
Summary
APDA has rolled out ParkinSex—a kit with a book, card game and sensory items—to help couples with Parkinson’s maintain sexual intimacy as the disease reshapes relationships.
Parkinson’s often brings diminished sexual desire, fatigue, anxiety and movement problems, while shame keeps many patients and partners from raising sex-related struggles even with doctors, APDA neurologist Rebecca Gilbert said.
The kit encourages couples to broaden their definition of sex when intercourse becomes difficult or impossible, using touch, massage, sensory play and rituals like baths or candles to stay connected.
For one Missouri couple, the husband’s diagnosis at 69 changed travel, routines and sex, but also pushed them toward more deliberate affection—kissing, gratitude and saying “I love you” more often.
APDA says preserving intimacy can help sustain quality of life over a long period, especially as Parkinson’s progressively turns many romantic partnerships into relationships that also involve caregiving.