HIV and Aging… There Are Resources on That!

Based on feedback from our members, PAN has identified HIV and aging as a priority area of focus. Interest in accessing resources related to aging with HIV was put forth at the Fall 2016 PHA forum, where it was suggested that PAN’s website could include a resource section focused on this topic area. HIV and aging is a hot topic across the country, as demonstrated by this special session at the 2017 Canadian Association for HIV Research (CAHR) conference:

 

 

Another presentation of interest is one by Dr. Giovanni Guaraldi, an international expert in HIV and Aging. This presentation was co-sponsored by PAN’s REACH 2.0 colleagues at the Atlantic Interdisciplinary Research Network for Social and Behavioural Issues in Hepatitis C and HIV (AIRN), and Dalhousie’s Geriatric Medicine Research Unit and Department of Community Health and Epidemiology. View the presentation slides and recording.  

Some quick sleuthing revealed that online resource-gathering related to HIV and aging is already being done by Realize, the Canadian Working Group on HIV and Rehabilitation (CWGHR). This national charitable organization works to develop research, education and cross-sector partnerships that bridge the worlds of HIV, disability and rehabilitation.

Realize’s webpage related to HIV and aging describes how the number of people living and aging with HIV is increasing as a result of improved treatment options for people living with HIV who have access to medication, and because an increasing number of people are diagnosed with HIV later in life. Realize and the CWGHR are bringing together the HIV sector and the aging sector to stimulate the creation and exchange of knowledge about aging with HIV, as well as to raise awareness and understanding about the needs, wishes and experiences of older adults living with or vulnerable to HIV.

As part of their commitment to this work and their mission to improve the lives of people living and aging with HIV, Realize has produced and gathered a number of resources on their website.

Below are some useful links to Realize’s information and resources about HIV and aging. Note: Each information-related page has a separate page with links to resources, so these pages are presented in pairs:

Information on HIV and Aging
Resources related to general information on HIV and aging

Information on HIV and Aging: What does it mean?
Resources related to the meaning of HIV and aging

Information on aging with HIV
Resources related to aging with HIV

There’s also some information on HIV prevention for older adults, as well as links to prevention-related resources for older adults. In addition, Realize recently added “video vignettes” on growing older with HIV- watch these short videos.

Realize also hosts a page with external links related to HIV and aging, which can be accessed here.

 

Questions? Feedback? Get in touch!
Heather Holroyd, Community Based Research and Evaluation Projects Contractor
[email protected]