In some ways, the daily lives of aging and older people living with HIV are similar to the lives of other older adults.  There is a need to manage concurrent health conditions, cope with isolation and loneliness, and take stock of who will provide support if independence wanes.

But normal aging-related issues can be more complex for people living with HIV.  It is common for HIV-positive people to live with a greater number of physical, mental, or cognitive comorbidities across the lifespan, as compared to their HIV-negative counterparts.  Financial insecurity resulting from poor financial advice, precarious engagement in work, and HIV-related stigma, can limit access to housing, food and support and increase isolation.  Uncertainty regarding health changes, the long-term impacts of treatment, and the process of navigating services and supports for ‘seniors’ abounds.

Realize is committed to ensuring that aging and older people living with HIV are supported.  Some of our activities include:

• Educating health care and service providers about the needs and experiences of aging and older people living with HIV
• Sharing up-to-date research findings on topics related to HIV, aging and older adulthood
• Taking action to address health inequities faced by aging and older people living with HIV

The PANACHE Ontario Project: Preferences And Needs for Aging Care among HIV-positive Elderly people in Ontario (“PANACHE ON”) is a qualitative community-based participatory research(CBPR) study that conducted community consultations with people aging with HIV at nine community-based organizations in Ontario, Canada to ascertain their preferences and needs for aging care.