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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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HIV/AIDS and older adults
— the invisible ten percent | | Author(s) | John Genke |
| Journal title | Care Management Journals, vol 2, no 3, Fall 2000 |
| Pages | pp 196-205 |
| Keywords | AIDS ; Sexual activity ; Drug taking. |
| Annotation | As we now approach the third decade of the AIDS epidemic, age is no barrier. Whilst infection rates have stabilised or declined among young populations, older adults are being infected at a rate of 10% or more annually, so the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the 50+ population is too significant to ignore. Yet older adults receive little information about HIV/AIDS, particularly compared with other age groups. The author presents data that challenges the fallacy that older people are not sexually active. Because many symptoms of HIV/AIDS mimic those of other diseases often associated with ageing, misdiagnosis among older adults is a rather common occurrence. Differentiating between multiple illnesses which include HIV/AIDS and managing sometimes conflicting treatment regimens can be a delicate balancing act. In general, HIV/AIDS affects older adults in much the same ways it affects younger people. The modes of transmission are identical. For many older adults, especially women, the feelings of guilt and shame about being infected can be particularly acute. The implications for long-term care are yet to be acted upon. (KJ/RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-010626212 A |
| Classmark | CQTT: BIU: ETD |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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