The AHA Project (Action for HIV and Aging)
When a woman with HIV realizes that she’s lived longer than she ever expected and begins to rebuild her life, that’s an aha moment.
When a doctor and patient sort through the complexities of HIV, the medications used to treat the virus, and the realities of aging to identify an effective treatment, that’s an aha moment.
When a group of gay men acknowledge how the AIDS epidemic has impacted every aspect of their lives and start the healing process together, that’s an aha moment.
When a politician recognizes that AIDS is not over and funds programing to meet the challenges of HIV and aging, that’s an aha moment.
In the past two years since the release of Aging with HIV I’ve met many amazing men and women who are living with HIV longer than they ever expected. Throughout the country we’ve created conversations that have expanded our understanding of aging with HIV. Together we’ve exchanged information, shared experiences, processed feelings and built communities. It’s been a real learning experience filled with aha moments.
That’s why I’ve decided to start the AHA Project (Action for HIV and Aging) to facilitate discussions that empower people to define for themselves what it means to optimally age with HIV.
In the coming weeks agingwithhiv.wordpress.com will become ahaproject.org. I appreciate your patience as I develop the site to reflect its developing mission.
HIV and Aging: American Society on Aging (ASA)
In a recent article for the American Society on Aging, Nathan Linsk, considers the issues faced by older adults as the significant challenges for the fourth decade of HIV. The article discusses the physical and emotional challenges long term survivors face as they live longer than ever expected. Linsk summarizes recent research developments in the field, offers links to articles, and lists resources available.
To read the article go the the ASA website.
Annual Review
It has been an exciting year since the publication of Aging with HIV: A gay man’s guide. I have met a lot of great people around the country and overseas who are keeping conversations going about the challenges of aging and how people living with HIV can define optimal aging for themselves.
There have been many developments in the field: SAGE developed a policy paper on Aging with HIV; There was an historic White House meeting on HIV and aging; Interesting findings were discussed at the Baltimore Conference on HIV and Aging, the SAGE constituent conference and the 2nd Annual Conference on HIV and Aging in Austin; The HIV and Aging Group built community on Facebook; The National LGBT Aging Resource Center was created; Clinical Guidelines for Medical Management of HIV and Aging were released; and Caring and Aging with Pride published its report on LGBT Aging in the United States.
Aging with HIV was discussed in print and on the web: I talked with Mark S. King on MyFabulousDisease.com; The Philadelphia Gay News; The New York Times; Edge Magazine; And, the book was reviewed in The Bay Area Reporter, Lambda Literary Review, and The Gerontologist. And, I’m looking forward to the publication of an interview with Neal Broverman in next month’s Advocate.
It’s been quite a year!
I am looking forward to keeping you posted on new developments in the field. Aging with HIV is an expanding field. I am hoping that readers continue to share insights, information, and personal stories with me, so that I can pass them on to the community and keep the conversation going in 2012.
Hide/Seek at the Brooklyn Museum
I don’t think I could have been more proud of my cultural history as a gay man than I was last Saturday on Queer night at the Brooklyn Museum.
What could be more empowering than to dance to Sylvester’s “You Make Me Feel,” with hundred’s of LGBTQ people of diverse ages, ethnic, and racial backgrounds surrounded by priceless works of art in one of the oldest and largest art institutions in the United States?
The evening was to celebrate the ongoing Hide/Seek exhibit, and I knew it was going to be special as I entered the building. The museum, which I have been going to since I was a child, seemed transformed by the energy of the crowd. People were milling about, laughing and expressing affection with ease. There were two venues for music, live and DJ. And, although I usually hate standing in line, I waited patiently to enter the exhibition, feeling like I was part of something monumental that night.
HIDE/SEEK: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture is billed as “The first major museum exhibition to focus on themes of gender and sexuality in modern American portraiture.” It was originally exhibited at the Smithsonian Institution, National Portrait Gallery with some controversy and will be on display at the Brooklyn Museum until February 12, 2012.
The exhibit documents the contributions of LGBT artists from the 19th century to the contemporary era. It was a lesson in art history, and I learned not only about the impact of LGBT artists, but that many famous works were created by artists that I never knew were gay. The works included in the exhibit tell us the story of gay life through the eyes of great artists of their day. For example, I was struck by the soulful expression in “Arnold Comes of Age,” Grant Wood’s self-portrait (the painter of American Gothic). He shows us how difficult it is to be a gay man in Middle America in 1930. A walk through the exhibit documents the pain and suffering, joy and daring these great gay and lesbian artists endured through their work. As the exhibit moved into the contemporary era, the impact of AIDS and works of current artists, I was able to reflect on my own life as a gay man, and could see how my experiences fell into a context of gay liberation and identity formation documented in art.
And, later, on the dance floor I felt deep gratitude for all the LGBT artists, activists, and people from all walks of life, who through their work and existance helped create a world where I could hold my husband’s hand at the Brooklyn Museum and feel proud of being gay.
To find out more about the exhibit go the the Brooklyn Museum.
New Guidelines For Medical Management of Older Patients Living with HIV Released
Last week the American Academy of HIV Medicine, the American Geriatrics Society and the AIDS Community Research Initiative of America (ACRIA) published recommended treatment strategies for clinicians managing older patients with HIV. This is a major step in the medical treatment of HIV recognizing the unique and complex medical issues faced by this growing population. It is the first time best practice guidance has ever been developed for HIV practitioners and other health care providers who treat diagnose and refer older patients with HIV disease.
The report contains specific guides provided for Diabetes, Cancer, Hypertension, HepC etc. as well as HIV testing and Sexual Health and more. While it is directed at practitioners, people living with HIV may want to familiarize yourselves with the recommendations and discuss their relevance to your care. The full report is 76 pages, but an executive summary outlines the treatment recommendations in each area.
To view the overview, executive summary, or full report go to the American Academy of HIV Medicine webpage.
Aging with HIV on the internet TV show Positive OUTlook
On Thursday, Aug. 11th Mike Hellman was a guest on the internet TV show Positive OUTlook, hosted by Nayck Feliz, talking about Aging with HIV and the discussion group he has been facilitating at the Shepherd Wellness Community over the past few weeks.
If you missed it, you can see the show at: http://www.outonline.com/
You can also search for Positive OUTlook or Aging with HIV
National Resource Center on LGBT Aging
The National Resource Center on LGBT aging has updated its HIV and Aging pages. Click here for a link to my article and browse the site for other articles and resources throughout the country.
National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day September 18th
Tomorrow is National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day. The AIDS Institute is hosting a Webinar on line conference to discuss the issue. You can join by registering at: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/946895474.
When Lapses Are Not Just Signs of Aging: New York Times
Earlier this week Jane Brody published an article in the New York Times on the difficulty distinguishing mild cognitive impairment from the effects of normal aging. She explains, “While most people experience a gradual cognitive decline as they get older (only about one in 100 lives long without cognitive loss), others experience more extreme changes in cognitive function, the neurologist wrote in The New England Journal of Medicine in June. In population-based studies, mild cognitive impairment has been found in 10 percent to 20 percent of people older than 65, he noted.”
For people living with HIV over the age of fifty, cognitive impairment is a serious concern, and many wonder if occasional memory lapses and subtle forgetfulness are signs of normal aging or the first stages of serious cognitive impairment or dementia.
The article explains how diagnoses are made and strategies one can use to preserve cognitive functioning, including: medical management (when appropriate); lifestyle changes (such as reducing cardiovascular risk and blood sugar); practicing cognitive improvement exercises; and physical exercise.
To read the full article go to the New York Times.
ADAP Advocacy Association Conference Information
Mark S. King attended the 2011 ADAP Advocacy Association conference July 5-7 in Washington, DC and reviews the event on his blog.
AHA Project 