Publication on HIV Stigma Among Older Women

A recent publicaton in the journal Social Work in Health Care focuses on the issue of HIV-related stigma among midlife and older women. The full citation is below.

Jacobs, R. J. & Kane, M.N. (2010). HIV-Related stigma in midlife and older women. Social Work in Health Care, 49(1), 68-89

Recent article on Standards of Care for those 50+

A recent article published in Current HIV/AIDS Reports discusses the standards of care when working with adults 50 years and older living with HIV/AIDS. The citation for the article is:

Henry, K. (2009). What Are the Standards of Care for HIV-Positive Patients Aged 50 Years and Older? Current HIV/AIDS Reports, 6,153–161.

New Study Links HIV Infection to Brain Aging

A study just published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases links HIV infection to more rapid decrease in blood flow to the brain. Researchers from Washington University at St. Louis School of Medicine and the University of California, San Diego studied 26 subjects with HIV infection and 25 seronegative subjects. They found "functional brain demands in HIV positive subjects where equivalent to those of HIV negative subjects who were 15-20 years older".

The citation for the article is: Ances, B. M et al (2010). HIV and aging independently affect brain function as measured by Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Journal of Infectious Diseases, 201, 336-340.

University of Miami Symposium on Aging and HIV Infection

The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and the UM Developmental Center for AIDS Research (D-CFAR) is hosting their 7th annual HIV symposium on March 5, 2010. The topic for this years symposium is Aging and HIV infection. The symposium runs from 8:30 am to 5 pm and registration is required. For more information, call (305) 575-3267 or check the D-CFAR web site http://www.med.miami.edu/dcfar/

Older Adults with HIV: An In-Depth Examination of an Emerging Population

In 2006 the AIDS Community Resource Initiative of America (ACRIA) completed the largest study to date on older adults living with HIV/AIDS. The study know as ROAH (Research on Older Adults with HIV) surveyed nearly 1000 HIV positive individuals in New York City over the age of 50. The results of that study are now available in a full length book edited by Brennen, Karpiak, Shippy & Cantor. The book entitled Older Adults with HIV: An In-Depth Examination of an Emerging Population can be purchased through Nova Sciences. This is an important resource for all interested in aging and HIV/AIDS. Just click the link to the title of the book for information on purchase.

New Issue of Mental Health AIDS

The most recent issue of Mental Health AIDS (Vol 11, No. 2, Winter 2010) has recently been released. There are numerous articles and references to older adults included in this newsletter. For example, there is a discussion of an HIV risk intervention for older African American Men(see Coleman, C.L., Jemmott, L., Jemmott, J.B., Strumpf, N., & Ratcliffe, S. (2009). Development of an HIV risk reduction intervention for older seropositive African American men. AIDS Patient Care & STDs, 23(8), 647-655.)

In addition, there is mention of a recently published book with relevance to older persons (see Goodkin, K., Shapshak, P., & Verma, A. (Eds.). (2008). The spectrum of neuro-AIDS disorders: Pathophysiology,diagnosis, and treatment. Washington,DC: ASM Press.

The full newletter is published by SAMHSA and can be found at using this link.

Growing Concern over HIV/AIDS in China's Elderly

An artice in China Today discusses the growing concern over HIV/AIDS in China's elderly population and the response to improve safe sex messages to the older adult population. The article indicates that "the rise in infection among older people [is associated with] abundant and cheap commercial sex, as well as an increasingly active gay community." The concern reminds us of the diversity among HIV disease and older people and that treatment approaches as well as prevention messages need to be aimed at the target population. For more information go to: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/life/2010-01/11/content_9297255.htm

New Publication on Older Adults and HIV knowledge

The following citation was just located as a new publication related to knowledge of older adults about HIV.

Small, L. F. (2010). What Older Adults Know about HIV/AIDS: Lessons from an HIV/AIDS Education Program. Educational Gerontology, 36(1), 26-45.

Medicare Begins To Reimburse For HIV Screening

Kaiser Health News reports that Medicare will begin paying for HIV testing. This is really a very important step in the fight against HIV/AIDS and the recognition that older adults engage in behaviors (both sexual and injection drug use) that place them at risk for HIV and other STIs. Whether payment for testing will be sufficient to break down barriers and stigma regarding HIV for older people remains to be seen. This is certainly a step in the right direction.

According to this report, "Last month, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced that Medicare would cover HIV screenings for beneficiaries who are at increased risk for HIV, who are pregnant or who request it”. This policy change seems to stop short of the routine screening recommendations that were put in place by the CDC in 2006 for persons between the ages of 13 and 64 years of age.

Handbook of HIV and Social Work: Principles, Practice, and Populations

This new book, edited by Cynthia Cannon Poindexter will focus on HIV and Social Work practice. The book consists of 20 chapters divided into three parts. The first part, Principles, lays the groundwork necessary to understand all HIV services, advocacy, and prevention. The second part, Methods, focuses on social work methods and how they are used in the HIV field. The third section, Populations, highlights particularly vulnerable populations. The various chapters focus on HIV practice and policy in the US from a social work perspective. Several chapters have relevance to older adults, including a chapter on midlife and older adults as well as a chapter on HIV affected caregivers. The book can be ordered from Wiley & Sons and can be found at:



Release is estimated to be March of 2010.