It may be uncomfortable to think about Grandma and Grandpa in a
sexual sense, but it is a reality," says Dr. Phil Christian in the
video It Can Happen to Me, part of an information kit
produced by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) about
being HIV positive and elderly. The video focuses on the stories of
six people, ranging from a Christian minister to a Latina activist
(both living with the virus) to an HIV negative grandmother caring
for her positive granddaughter. It cuts right through the falsehoods
that even those featured originally held about HIV. Says Mary Moreno
about her initial reaction to the news that she'd received infected
blood: "I had to go to a doctor whose practice was predominantly gay
men -- the people I felt were responsible for me getting this virus.
But it doesn't matter how you get this disease. The thing that's
important to teach people is how to protect themselves." It Can
Happen to Me is available for loan or purchase from AARP, 601 E
Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20049; 202.434.2277.
