Sunday, September 18, marks National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day (NHAAD). Launched by the AIDS Institute in 2008, NHAAD aims to highlight the growing number of people 50 and older living with and at risk of HIV—and the complex issues related to care, treatment and prevention of this aging population.

It’s estimated that more than half of Americans living with HIV are age 50 or older, and NHAAD notes that 1 in 6 new HIV diagnoses in the country are in that population.

“Our goals are to emphasize the need for prevention, research and data targeting the aging population and increase medical understanding of the aging process and its impact on HIV/AIDS,” states the NHAAD website. “Through action, we hope to increase the quality of life for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). Through awareness, we hope to reduce stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS among the aging population.” 

Numerous events will take place across the country, including screenings throughout the week of the documentary “Desert Migration” as part of the AARP Movies for Grown-Ups series. (For more about the film, which follows several residents of Palm Springs, California, check out POZ’s “Meet the 13 Long-Term Survivors of ‘Desert Migration.’”)

Visit the NHAAD website for resources, activities, testing sites and more. More information can be found on AIDS.gov. And on social media, look for the hashtags #AIDSandAging and #NHAAD.

To learn about “The Graying of AIDS” project that documents this aging population, read “Older, Wiser, Ready for Their Close-Up.”

And for POZ blogger Aundaray Guess’s unique viewpoint on the subject, read “Do You Wear a Condom, Grandpa?”