Abstract

In 1998, approximately 30 million people worldwide were living with HIV/AIDS, about 5 million of whom became infected that year. The epidemic continues to expand, with an estimated doubling time of 10 years, making AIDS the leading infectious cause of death ahead of tuberculosis and malaria. Even in the U.S.A. where the death rate from AIDS is declining as a result of effective drug therapies, HIV infection rates continue to climb in several population groups. The prevalence of AIDS among people over the age of 50 is steadily increasing, and most older people are unprepared to address it for a number of reasons, including the widespread discomfort with matters sexual and homosexual and the belief that elderly people are not sexually active and therefore not at risk.
This guide for care providers seeks to educate and inform readers about the difficulties and complications that accompany the disease in older people. Thus, while the appendix includes technical descriptions of methodology, data, and results, the narratives in the chapters describing the findings and their practical implications are written in layman's language. Topics covered include biomedical aspects, demographics, sexuality, stressors, mental health, older women, and patient care, all of which are supported by case studies.
"Overall, the book is written in a highly accessible and jargon-free style."
-Ageing and Society, 2004
"HIV in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Mental Health, Health, and Social Issues is a comprehensive look into the struggles that older people with HIV face. The interviews offer an insight into the complicated struggles of a segment of the HIV population that has often been forgotten. Sex and substance use are alive and well in the older population. Providers involved with the care of older people need to have in-depth information on the impact of HIV on ageing. This book is a real 'eye opener' for clinicians, care managers, and anyone who makes decisions about HIV care."
- Donna Gallagher, Director, New England AIDS Education and Training Center, Boston, USA
"The interweaving of descriptive findings from the 172 HIV+ subjects and the in-depth data from the 15 people living in Florida, along with a comprehensive application of the professional literature, enhances our understanding of the realities of ageing and living with HIV/AIDS. This work is a 'must have' resource for providers and researchers interested in the lives of middle-aged and older people living with HIV/AIDS."
- Kathleen M. Nokes, CUNY, USA
"In one of the first scientific book length reports of older HIV positive people, the authors sensitively reveal the vulnerability, depression, poverty and isolation of one of the fastest growing portions of the epidemic. Their attention to these often hidden people, often living in minority communities, calls upon all of us to change our thinking about older adults and develop education, service, and support programs to address their needs."
- Nathan L. Linsk, Principal Investigator, Midwest AIDS Training and Education Center, Founding Co-chair, National Association of HIV Over Fifty, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA