Unit 1 - Florida Council Against Sexual Violence

REVIEW ANSWERS TO
TRUE/FALSE QUIZ GIVEN
EARLIER
As a review of the unit, refer back to the true/false quiz and
have participants give the answers, based on what they
learned in this unit. Answer any questions.
Elder Sexual Abuse
True or False Quiz Answers
1. Sex is unimportant to older adults. It is abnormal for older
adults to be interested in sex.
False. Older adults are sexual beings just as younger
people are. Caregivers may think that it is wrong for older
adults to engage in consensual sex because of their age or
disability. Unless a person is deemed incompetent by the
judicial system, he or she has a right to engage in
consensual sexual activity.
2. Older women are not rape victims because they are not
sexually desirable and no one would want to have sex with
them.
False. Rape is about power and control, not an intense,
uncontrollable sexual desire. Any person can be raped.
When an older adult reports a rape, she or he is often met
with disbelief that anyone (especially a young person)
would be sexually interested in an older person. Again,
sexual assault is not about sexual attraction.
3. Most older people who claim to have been raped are doing
so because of Alzheimer’s Disease dementia or because
they are lonely and need attention.
False. This is a myth that contributes to older people not
being believed when they report a sexual assault.
Offenders often look for an “easy target,” and having
Alzheimer’s Disease or age-related dementia can make
them more vulnerable.
4. Older adults usually know their attackers.
True. Older victims, like younger victims, usually
know their attackers.
5. Sexual assault often goes undetected and may only come to
light because of reports of other types of abuse, neglect or
exploitation.
FCASV Elder Sexual Abuse Trainer’s Guide 29
Unit 1