People aged 50 and older

Background

This infographic outlines the key reasons for the growing number of people over 50 living with HIV, the lack of access to health services and treatment challenges they often face, as well as the gaps in scientific understanding with regard to the needs of the ageing HIV

The availability of potent antiretroviral therapy (ART) has transformed the HIV epidemic, changing HIV disease from a fatal illness to a chronic, manageable condition.

Older people living with HIV describe a range of strategies to maintain or improve their mental health and emotional wellbeing, according to an English study published in AIDS Care. Many people said they shifted the focus of their attention away from HIV to other aspects of their lives.

Thanks to treatment with antiretroviral therapy (ART), people with HIV are living longer. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2014, an estimated 45% of Americans living with diagnosed HIV were aged 50 and older.

This booklet provides information on living well with HIV as you get older.

As people living with HIV (PLWH) live longer, increased understanding of individuals’ values and perceptions of successful aging can assist health providers in working with PLWH to set meaningful goals as they age.

For much of its history, the story of HIV has been that of young lives cut short and children born with an infection that will stop them reaching adulthood.

Now that effective treatment for HIV is available, it is considered to be a long-term condition and many people are living long and healthy lives with HIV. This factsheet covers some key points about growing older with HIV.

HIV-positive people are living increasingly long lives. Many people living with HIV can expect to live as long as their peers who do not have HIV.