Over its 30-year history, the face of HIV/AIDS has changed. Today more than one-quarter of people living with HIV/AIDS are over age 50. That percentage should hit 50% around 2017. Although many of these people contracted HIV as young adults and are living longer due to improved medications, it is critical to note that about 15% of all new HIV infections occur in people over 50. Older adults – of any sexual orientation or gender identity — are rarely targeted in safer sex and injection efforts.
In honor of the National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day, the National Resource Center on LGBT Aging (NRCLA) has launched a new online resource collection related to HIV and LGBT older adults. The whole collection can currently be accessed at http://www.lgbtagingcenter.org/resources/index.cfm
Highlights of the collection include:
- A new fact sheet on the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS http://www.lgbtagingcenter.org/resources/resource.cfm?r=323
- Videos of LGBT older adults living with HIV/AIDS telling their own stories http://www.lgbtagingcenter.org/resources/resources.cfm?t=5
- Webinars and presentations on HIV and aging issues http://www.lgbtagingcenter.org/resources/resources.cfm?t=3
- Articles on statistics, challenges, and solutions http://www.lgbtagingcenter.org/resources/resources.cfm?t=2 (Make sure you check this whole list, as there are HIV-related publications scattered throughout, not just at the top)
- A roadmap for future research on understanding the impacts of aging with HIV/AIDS http://www.lgbtagingcenter.org/resources/resource.cfm?r=324
