Take Action to Save US Social Security

Dear GAA Friend,

Two days ago the MoveOn organization wrote to me--and probably hundreds of others--urging us to stop Congress from cutting Social Security benefits for me and millions of others.  The writer, Frank Burton, said, "I elected the President, and other Democrats, to protect Social Security and to ask the wealthy to pay their fair share of taxes--not to cave in to Republican demands to cut the benefits that my family, and millions of other families, depend on."

Frank points out that last week President Obama offered to cut Social Security benefits.  And he said  that Democrats in Congress--whose support is needed to get a deal--are split on whether they'd allow Social Security cuts. 

What can ordinary people do to save this vital program that affects us all, particularly those of us who are old?   We must take action!  I will be marching into my Congressional Representative Charley Rangel's office with as many of my neighbors, friends and their children that we can assemble. 

What is our message?   Don't cut Social Security benefits!   I don't intend to sit back and let my children and neighbors' Social Security be robbed from us in full daylight.

If you live in the US, follow Frank Burton, Global Action on Aging, other Move On subscribers, and US citizens to stop this robbery of our Social Security. 

If you live in the New York area or can come to demonstrate, here is the address:  163 West 125th Street, New York, NY  10027-4404.  See you there!

Thanks and have a good holiday,   Susanne Paul for Global Action on Aging

PO Box 20022, New York, NY  10025

Breakthrough News for Older Persons!

Dear GAA Friend,

The countries of Latin American and the Caribbean nations may well be the champions of older persons' rights at the United Nations this fall. It is possible that diplomats may begin work during this UN Session on a binding human rights instrument on aging if proponents can secure sufficient votes among their colleagues.

What can you do to help?  Contact the National Aging Authority in your country to urge him or her to join the delegations supporting this initiative at the United Nations.  GAA will keep you informed with breaking news in the days and weeks ahead.

Today older people everywhere can have tangible hope for a human rights treaty on older people's rights across the globe.  Please write to tell Global Action on Aging readers about your intervention!

Thanks, Susanne Paul for Global Action on Aging

New Developments at Global Action on Aging

Dear Good Friends of Global Action on Aging,

Exciting news!  GAA is adapting its communication strategy to bring you more focussed news on aging developments worldwide.

As our website has grown over the past decade, we've seen many changes that enhance the easy exchange of information.  Now our readers can find useful materials easily due to expert search engines.  You can also get translations into your languages. We are grateful for this development.

At the same time, GAA wants to encourrage more dialogue among our readers and to exchange views on the important aging topics of the day.  These include strengthening the human rights instruments of older persons through the United Nations' treaty processes, documenting older persons' health issues, particularly focussed on HIV/AIDS, addressing the challenges of weakened social protection programs across the globe, and more.

We will use our blog to send you information on these topics and more. We  cordially invite your comments.   If you want to access our website, it is available to you as a very comprehensive archive at www.globalaging.org.

I am grateful for your support and interest.  All of us at GAA look forward to greater discussions and action programs among us over the next months and years. 

With good wishes, Susanne Paul for Global Action on Aging 

HIV in Women in an Aging Population: An Interview with Dr. Peggy McEvoy

Photo Credit: Epistheme

From 1996 to 2001, Dr. Peggy McEvoy served as the Caribbean Team Leader for the United Nations Programme for HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).  Dr. McEvoy completed undergraduate work in nursing at Columbia University.  She received a Master of Public Health from Tulane University before obtaining a Doctorate in Public Health from Columbia University.  She served in the Peace Corps in Togo and is fluent in Spanish, French, and English.  When AIDS was first identified in the early ‘80s, Dr. McEvoy was the Senior Associate for family planning for the Population Council and was working in Africa when some of the first women with HIV/AIDS started arriving in family planning clinics.

When McEvoy began her directorship of the Caribbean program in 1996, the region’s HIV epidemic mimicked the African outbreak.  Reported cases of HIV were divided evenly between men and women.  While in Africa the causes of such division lie in the sociocultural issues, the pattern commonly occurs in areas marked by homophobia in the Caribbean.  Families in this region encourage their sons to marry despite their homosexual or bisexual orientation.  Because these men continue to have relations with men, their wives are exposed to HIV. 

HIV is the leading cause of death and disease in women of reproductive age.  According to UNAIDS, in Sub-Saharan Africa, 60 percent of those living with HIV are women, and prevalence among young women aged 15-24 years is higher than among men of the same age.

Another source of infection worldwide is the need to exchange sex for food, money, shelter, or other necessities (transactional sex).  Transactional sex results in the spread of HIV worldwide.  “I have encouraged authorities in many countries to use “transactional sex” and not other terms like prostitution,” says McEvoy.  “When you find a little, eight year-old girl selling oranges at the border of Mali, she’s expected to bring home money.  If she doesn’t sell her oranges, she has sex with a truck driver for that money so as not to get beaten. That’s transactional.  That’s not prostitution.”

Safe sex promotion, the availability of male and female condoms, clean needle exchange programs for intravenous drug users, and HIV testing are important tools in managing the spread of HIV.  “While a test was available at the beginning of the HIV/AIDS outbreak, health systems, and infrastructure were not set up to cope with the problem,” Dr. McEvoy explained. 

Fear of stigmatization and exclusion prevented many individuals from seeking testing. Early testing required time that many individuals did not have; individuals needed to travel long distances to the healthcare facility to receive the test.  After the facility processed the test, the individual then needed to return to the clinic to receive the results. Presently, a buccal smear is available.  This quick test for HIV was initially only available in health clinics. Now, the FDA has approved these tests for home use, which will ensure much needed confidentiality. 

Older Adults

No published reports detail the incidence of HIV/AIDS in adults over the age of 49.  Now that the HIV/AIDS population is aging, researchers should seek epidemiologic information in this older age group, especially in the US and developed countries where services are available to support this population.

With the availability of erectile dysfunction medications, some older men have affairs with younger woman, infecting their wives with HIV.  Anecdotally, some individuals say that the biggest risk of infection for women is marriage.  In many countries married woman cannot negotiate condom use, regardless of whether or not their partner is promiscuous.  Women in polygamous relationships cannot refuse sex.

Campaigns to reduce the spread of HIV do not prioritize older populations.  The strongest emphasis is placed on woman and girls of reproductive age while no statistics exist for individuals over the age of 50. 

Future Steps and the Aging Population

Among safe sex promotion for seniors, prevention policies may emphasize the use of female condoms for older women.  Because female condoms are more lubricated than male condoms, older men who use Viagra may prefer these condoms. 

Researchers need to turn their attention toward this older age group, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) can contribute to these efforts.  Studies are needed to explore the prevalence of HIV in geriatric centers in the US, given the research indicating the spread of other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in assisted living centers.  NGOs can facilitate this research by contacting universities and institutions to initiate the research on a small scale, utilizing individual skilled nursing facilities and assisted living centers.  This research would contribute to the body of knowledge and epidemiology of this disease.

By Tori Daugherty and Susanne Paul

v.daugherty@globalaging.org