For AIDS Awareness month, we wanted to help keep seniors informed on the virus. The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has stated that in 2018 that 1 in 6 HIV diagnoses were people aged 50 and older. There are behaviors that put seniors at risk which include:

• Seniors are less likely to discuss drugs and sex with their physicians. Although they see providers more often, they are not asked about these behaviors as often as younger people.
• Symptoms are often seen as normal aging as opposed to HIV symptoms. Seniors will not bother letting their physicians know because they think it is something else.
• Older people have a lack of knowledge about HIV prevention.
• Seniors are more likely to have the virus at a later state which puts their immune system at risk.
• Seniors are more likely concerned about the negativity attached to HIV. They have a harder time disclosing to their family due to isolation.

It is important to be informed and do not rule out yourself or a senior loved one.

Sources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/group/age/olderamericans/index.html