We never thought we’d live this long, so what now? For some of us who were offered Hospice care at one time or another in our diagnosis we are shocked and somewhat intimidated by outliving a death diagnosis.
Here are some noteworthy reads on aging and being HIV/AIDS. More research is being done every day, but time will tell if we see a cure in our lifetime.
SAGE: Services & Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Elders
Link to SAGE GLBT resources
As of 2015, 50 percent of people with HIV in the U.S. are age 50 or older. By 2020, more than 70 percent of Americans with HIV will be 50 or older. This epidemic has disproportionately impacted LGBT people and people of colorĀ …
Here is a rather “heady” scientifically & medically that is, site on research done on HIV+ patients as they age, and the impact of everything from Osteoporosis in HIV and Aging, to neurocognitive disorders (HAND) diagnosis and clarification from other “look alike” diseases.
HIV and Aging – Your Go-To Site for Aging with HIV
This site is not for the faint-of-heart and gets rather technical in places, but worth bookmarking and checking back often, for new research and frequent study updates.
Also a thorough explaination of many government sites, their funding, and what health concerns they monitor, here at home and around the world regarding people living with HIV and aging can also be found at:
HIV aging list of links
Lambda Legal
Link to Lambda Legal resources
The nation’s oldest and largest legal organization working for the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, and people with HIV/AIDS.
In the US, HIV began mostly as a disease of young men, but today the epidemic impacts people of all ages, including older people (age
While 50 may not seem ‘old,’ it is often the age currently used by organizations that keep track of health-related issues with HIV, and are receiving more and more attention as this population grows.
The aging population of people living with HIV is growing for two main reasons: 1) powerful HIV drugs are allowing many people living with HIV to live into their 50s and beyond; and 2) while most new HIV infections occur in younger people, people 50 and older are becoming infected at increasing rates.
The CDC reports that one in four adults living with HIV was 50 and older in the US in 2012. To find out more about why more older adults are becoming infected…
The Well Project | Together, we can change the course of the epidemic…one woman at a time.
The Well Project on HIV & Aging
A dedicated site for LBT women to engage health care and advocate for the issues that impact the community.
National Resource Center on LGBT Aging
LGBTAgingCenter.org – Resources – HIV & Aging
We’re steadily creating a resource center that will provide resources across a variety of LGBT aging topics. Tell us what you’d like to see…
Advocating for LGBTQ Equality Human Rights Campaign
There is a terriffic list of resources on the home page of HRC and an up-to-date list of their blog, along with other postings of interest to the community.
Home page of Human Rights Campaign
“While HIV affects Americans from all walks of life, the epidemic continues to disproportionately impact gay and bisexual men[1], transgender women, youth ages 13-24 and communities of color, particularly in the southern United States. While tremendous medical advances have helped HIV-positive individuals live longer, healthier lives, there remains no cure and tens of thousands of new infections occur every year. Insufficient funding for HIV programs, as well as prevention methods that are not scientifically sound and persistent stigma and discrimination continue to make it difficult to fight the epidemic and provide the best possible care to those living with HIV…”
Cited from HIV and the LGBTQ Community Human Rights Campaign
Also a link directly to the resources page:
Human Rights resources for GLBT
Finally, a “eye catching” Pinterest post that is worth your time. Amazing to see how HIV impacts a community, and especially the ones who care so long &lovingly for us! Grab a tissue, first, though!
You’ve been warned.
Link to pictorial of HIV Caregivers
1000+ images about LGBT Caregivers on Pinterest.
Parents, Living with HIV caregiving, along with GLBT caregivers, showing an understanding of the barriers and risks any aging LovedOne might face as they age, particularly if one in the equasion has HIV.