National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day

nationalhiv
National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day (NHAAAD) is observed each year on September 18. In 2008, the AIDS Institute launched this day to bring awareness to the challenging issues the aging population faces with regards to HIV prevention, testing, care and treatment.

According to CDC, people ages 55 and older accounted for 26% of all Americans living with diagnosed or undiagnosed HIV infection in 2013. Older people in the United States are more likely than younger people to be diagnosed with HIV infection late in the course of the infection, which results in their starting treatment late and possibly suffering more immune-system damage. Late diagnoses can occur because health care providers may not always test older people for HIV infection, and older people may not consider themselves to be at risk of HIV infection or may mistake HIV symptoms for those of normal aging and not consider HIV as a cause.
Many older people are sexually active, including those living with HIV, and may have the same HIV risk factors as younger people, including a lack of knowledge about HIV and how to prevent getting it, as well as having multiple sex partners. Older people also face some unique issues such as:

· Many widowed and divorced people are dating again. They may be less aware of their risks for HIV than younger people, believing HIV is not an issue for older people. Thus, they may be less likely to protect themselves.

· Women who no longer worry about becoming pregnant may be less likely to use a condom and to practice safer sex. Age-related thinning and dryness of vaginal tissue may raise older women’s risk for HIV infection.

· Although they visit their doctors more frequently, older people are less likely than younger people to discuss their sexual habits or drug use with their doctors. And doctors are less likely to ask their older patients about these issues.

Let’s continue to partner with organizations and work together to advance the goals of Careteam+, maximize the effectiveness of current HIV prevention methods, and improve surveillance among older people in Horry, Georgetown, and Williamsburg counties.

For additional resources and information please see the websites below: