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Celebrating Older Human Rights Champions In The Global HIV/AIDS Movement

October 1st marks the International Day of Older Persons with the poignant global theme: "Celebrating Older Human Rights Champions"
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Realize Canada

By Tammy C. Yates, Executive Director, Realize

In 1998, when I was 15, my cousin's best friend died suddenly. My cousin was distraught and asked me to go to the funeral with her. No one else wanted to go with her. No one wanted to discuss how he died, or why he died so suddenly at the age of 25. He was gay. This was Trinidad & Tobago and this was the early days of "the AIDS epidemic" there. The weapon was silence.

Fast forward to this year, 2018; I now live in Toronto, I have been working in the HIV field for well over a decade. A friend of mine living with HIV and his partner recently celebrated 30 years of coupledom and he was not shy to publicly acknowledge that for 25 of those 30 years he has been living with HIV.

Three things dawned on me after hearing those words. Firstly, in many parts of the world – and even here in some corners of Canada – there are people living with HIV who still encounter barriers to accessing antiretroviral therapy and are dying prematurely unnecessarily. Secondly, on the other end of that spectrum, like my friend who has been living with HIV for 25 years and is now in his early 60s, many people living with HIV who were diagnosed in the early days of the epidemic, are living long lives - into their seventh, eighth and even ninth decade – a reality they never thought possible. Finally, I was reminded that my cousin's friend never lived beyond the age of 25.

On October 1st, we mark the International Day of Older Persons with the poignant global theme: "Celebrating Older Human Rights Champions," we recognize the older human rights champions in the global HIV/AIDS movement – many of who have passed away – and without whom, expanded access to antiretroviral therapy would not have been possible! We also recognize the older human rights champions in the global HIV/AIDS movement who are still in the proverbial trenches continuing to fight for their rights, but who are also facing a new foe and that is ageism, not only in their daily lives, but even in the very HIV/AIDS movement that they helped propel to the levels of achievement to which we bare witness today.

Realize Canada

Globally, the face of HIV is an aging one. For example, one in four people diagnosed with HIV in Canada is 50 or older, and due to medical treatment breakthroughs, in many communities (in Canada, the US and Western Europe) the majority of people living with HIV are older adults. Aging with HIV is a worldwide phenomenon. Over the past decade, HIV prevalence has increased in older age groups in the global south too. In most countries of Sub-Saharan Africa, for instance, HIV prevalence in adults aged 45 years and above is higher than in the total population.

Despite these facts, older adults living with HIV are being overlooked in the development of health strategies, program planning and the preparation of health care professionals. The evolving health and social uncertainties they face are barely on the radar. Many older adults living with HIV are also coping with the lasting impact of untreated HIV, aging-related comorbidity, and loss. Many feel isolated and uncertain about the future as the focus turns to "the end of AIDS," a sign that we are past due to have older adults living with HIV at all planning tables.

Realize, in its capacity as the civil society secretariat of the National Coordinating Committee on HIV and Aging has been proactive in its efforts to increase awareness among federal, provincial and territorial policymakers about how to address some of these key issues faced by older adults living with HIV; namely:

  • Securing a minimum income: Older adults and seniors living with HIV need an adequate income and publicly-funded benefits which enable them to maintain their health, prevent and manage disability, remain housed in their communities and sustain independence;
  • Creating inclusive environments for older adults living with HIV: Organizational policies within community-based HIV organizations and HIV clinics should ensure inclusive environments for older adults living with or vulnerable to HIV and take a comprehensive approach to the mental health and social needs of an aging population;
  • Providing training on HIV for providers of aging care: Health and social service providers in settings providing aging care require a foundational understanding of the lived experiences of people aging with HIV and the skills and tools to address the care needs of this population with empathy and respect;
  • Integrating the needs of older adults into HIV policy: Government strategies related to HIV and sexually transmitted and blood-borne infection (STBBI) prevention, care, treatment and support need to be inclusive of older adults living with or vulnerable to HIV and take a comprehensive approach to sexual health for older persons that includes more than just disease prevention; and
  • Integrating HIV and aging into chronic disease management policy: Government strategies related to the care and support of seniors and/or people living with chronic health conditions need to be inclusive of older adults living with HIV, and attend to sexual health as an important dimension of overall health for aging persons.

Yes, we are pausing to celebrate the older human rights champions in the HIV/AIDS movement, who justly deserve this recognition, but this celebration should compel us to not only celebrate them, but more so, to emulate them and continue fighting against any "isms" that infringe on our human rights ... so with that in mind, help us fight #AIDSageism by advocating as allies, side by side, with older adults and seniors living with or vulnerable to HIV and by thinking outside the box to create inclusive environments for older adults and seniors with HIV because aging with HIV is the new reality, so the same old responses just won't do!

Tammy C. Yates: In February 2015, Tammy C. Yates became the first black woman to be appointed as Executive Director of a National Partner Organization in Canada's HIV response when she was named to leadRealize.Realizeis a national, charitable, organization based in Canada that addresses issues of disability and rehabilitation in the context of HIV and related conditions.Follow Realize on Twitter and Facebook

Tammy C. Yates

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of ICAD.

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