HIV and Older People--What's Happening Now in the US

Why are Older Persons getting infected with HIV?  aidsinfonet.org has some of the answers:

Health care providers fail to test older people for the infection.

Older people may not know the risks or even how they might get the virus.

Many older people are newly single, due to divorce or death of a partner. Assuming they lived a
monogamous life, they may have little knowledge of HIV prevention messages.

Most HIV information ignores older people.  In response, older people often believe that HIV affects only younger persons.

Most older people neither get nor seek out information about how to protect themselves in their sexual encounters.

Drug use accounts for more than 16% of infections of people over 50 years old.

Use of Viagra combined with unprotected sex, whether heterosexual or homosexual, contributes to infection.

Because doctors can confuse HIV infection with "normal aging," they may see HIV infections among their older patients.

Once diagnosed, HIV elders may encounter stigma; they hide their infection from family and friends.

If you want more information, seek out this useful website:

http://social.un.org/index/CommissionforSocialDevelopment/Sessions/2013/PanelDiscussions.aspx

Susanne Paul
Global Action on Aging