National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day
This particular day brings attention to the increasing lot of people living entire and long lives with HIV and to their health and social necessities.
September 18 is National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day– a day to call attention to the growing number of people living entire and long lives with HIV along with to aging-related challenges of HIV prevention, Diagnose, treatment and care.
People with HIV are living long, thanks to treatment with HIV remedies. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2015, an approximated 47% of people in the United States with diagnosed HIV were aged 50 and above. People aging with HIV can face treatment-related challenges, such as drug interactions in between HIV medications and medicines used for other conditions.
There are also HIV prevention challenges linked with aging. As an example, although HIV risk factors are similar for all adults, older people might be less aware of these factors and the importance of testing to identify HIV in its earliest stages. CDC reports that 35% of people aged 55 and above who received an HIV diagnosis in 2016 already had AIDS.
National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day Activities
In an effort to continuously increase awareness relating to HIV among the older people, organizations and community members are invited to develop, implement and be a participant in awareness activities and events on September 18th.
Some examples of ways and activities organizations and people can become involved:
- Host a complementary HIV diagnostic event
- Promote and motivate HIV tests among older people
- Provide HIV education and prevention information to older people
- Provide resources for link to treatment option and care for HIV infected older peoples
- Coordinate health exhibitions that focus on HIV/AIDS and healthcare in older peoples
- Motivate older adults to perform safer methods to prevent HIV and other Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD’s).
- Plan an events at leading community centers or nursing home facilities.
- Talk to an older person in your family about getting HIV tests.
- Engage superiors in the faith community to join local or national events on NHAAD.
- Highlight exactly how your programs can incorporate HIV education for older adults.
