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And they seem to be having more of it than they used to. And will probably have even more.
There is no surefire way of putting a figure on it - you can't know exactly what your gran is up to - but experts point to research showing increasing cases of sexually transmitted disease for people in their 60s and older.
"It's an indicator that people are still sexually active in their 60s, 70s, and 80s," sexual health expert Clare Holberton said.
People in those age groups grew up in the wake of the sexual revolution when old pruderies faded. The pill became available in Australia in 1961. They have grown up with the attitudes to sex of their own youth.
Apart from what seems to be an increase in sexual activity in the older age group, there seems to be more openness and less guilt.
Dr Holberton is 62. "I want to be sexually active when I'm in my 80s. I want to have intimacy. I want to be able to express myself sexually. I want to talk to who I want to. I want to do what I want with them."
Roughly one in six Australians is 65 and over, with more than half those being women. In 2000, one in eight Australians were over 65. A century ago, in 1926, it was one in 20, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
As we live longer, the demographic bulge at the older end gets bigger. The census of 2021 recorded 45,037 individuals in Australia aged from 95 to 99 and 5547 who were aged 100 or more.
"This represents a nearly 50 per cent increase in the number of Australians aged 95 or more since 2015. It is estimated that there will be 50,000 centenarians in Australia by 2050," the Sydney Centenarian Study found.
More old people means more old people having sex, and that would no doubt be a joy to them but also present challenges.
Are older people as aware of the need for consent as younger people, for example?
Dr Holberton, the head of the non-profit charity Sexual Health and Family Planning ACT, fears the message is not getting through to them, particularly to people who have been with the same partner for decades.
And attitudes to consent have changed over their lifetimes. "There are some people who still believe that if you're married, you're consenting to sex at any time, any place, and so I think the discussions around consent are lacking and are very, very important.
"Younger people have a lot of education around consent and what safe sex means, but older people have missed out on that messaging, particularly people who may have been in a long-term sexual relationship that are now re-partnering."
Part of the message is that openness is essential. "If you're having sex, then there's a risk that you could get an infection," Dr Holberton said.
So, she felt, old people need to talk about "what you're happy to do and what you're not happy to do, to actually ask, 'Have you had your sexual health screened? Can I see the results of your most recent sexually transmitted infection (STI) test? Are you happy to wear a condom?"
Apart from the matter of safety, there is the matter of coping with age. Sex for an 80-year-old is obviously not what it was when they were scampering around in their teens and 20s, so an openness of mind helps. Adjustments need to be made. Dr Holberton recommends that older people talk to GPs.
The ageing population puts a particular burden on aged care homes. How can consent be guaranteed in an institution where some residents may be confused?
"We do know unfortunately that there is abuse within aged care facilities," Dr Holberton said.
To address this, a guide for aged care homes was produced as part of a government initiative. The 12-page Sexuality Assessment Tool (SexAT) was written "to help residential aged care facilities support the expression of sexuality of residents, both with and without dementia".
It states: "Intimacy and the expression of sexuality are fundamental aspects of a person's wellbeing that continue to be important as we age" but also makes clear that consent is essential.
And by sex it means sex in all its forms: "Staff may be unaware of other sexualities and the needs of older people who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or intersex (GLBTI). Some facility staff may have good intentions, but be unsure of how to change practice, or how to make the facility environment conducive to sexual expression."
It has checklist questions, including whether, "double beds are available for residents".
One question asks whether "the facility has designated trained staff able to support families in coming to terms with residents' sexual expression, in a way they can understand and appropriate to their individual needs."
Dr Holberton thought that this document was important. If incidents occurred in homes, those homes could protect themselves against accusations of failing to control unwelcome, behaviour by saying they operated according to the guidelines.
"If you can show as an organisation that you have looked at this checklist, you've realised that we needed to train staff, or realised that you needed to adapt policies, and you can show over time how as an institution you're improving. I think then you are in a much better position to deal with any issues that arise."
