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It's kind of sad to struggle for so long and at the end you find yourself Ike in the biginnig. You don't even mantioned people over seventy. For the very early history it seemed that certain groups where always at the top of the list. The older you get the less visible you become. In the imaginary of society AIDS has become a third world country problem. Since the very early history it was attributed to a minority group and the image never left. The history must be rewritten again.
As a person living with HIV for twenty years and the fact that I'm also turning 60, prevention and treatment centers should be establish at least here in NYC. I do believe that most people of age doing need the necessary information and treatment and doctors need to be mindful of their patients possible sexual activities..
I applaud this series on educating ourselves and each other on a much maligned and ignored demographic. People need to understand that there is a huge population who essentially has aged into this demographic as long term survivors, but, just as important are the NEW infections that we are increasingly becoming aware of. I thank ACRIA who immediately started working on these issues and began training's years ago when it seemed there were only a handful of us with concern and no documentation.
Thank you for your comment and hello to a fellow advocate. The title reference the invisibility of seniors in general, when it comes to their lives and in this case HIV prevention. This also includes those not necessarily gay or living with HIV. Yet they have become forgotten when it comes to prevention. Society has ignored these groups in our conversation and we have to remember they are indeed, Still Here, and find a way to extend prevention efforts to all seniors. I hope that helps!
HUGs, thanks for the article, every effort counts, but it is a little but misleading. It is call STILL HERE, HIV and AGING, and the article mostly talk about prevention in the senior community. Treatments, the way our community living with HIV feels, and the problems we encounter are much much different. Again, thank you, but the title and sub title doesn't seem to connect with it. AH! 31 year HIV LONG TERM SURVIVOR, activist and advocate, and founder of the HIV LONG TERM SURVIVOR group.
mwarriner
Thanks, but testing seniors for HIV isn't just about those who are currently sexually active. I tested HIV+ when I was nearly 70. I'd been sick for a couple of years. My doctor thought I had fibromyalgia. Eventually, I ended up in the emergency room in acute respiratory distress. By then, I had full-blown AIDS. The most likely source was my late husband, who had died 5 years earlier from double pneumonia (probably AIDS-related). He was 77 and no one had thought to test him.
April 11, 2017 • California