The Elderly
Older people are at increasing risk for HIV/AIDS and other STDs. A growing number of older people now have HIV/AIDS. About 19 percent of all people with HIV/AIDS in this country are age 50 and older. 1 Because older people don't get tested for HIV/AIDS on a regular basis, there may be even more cases than currently known.
Many factors contribute to the increasing risk of infection in older people. In general, older Americans know less about HIV/AIDS and STDs than younger age groups because the elderly have been neglected by those responsible for education and prevention messages. In addition, older people are less likely than younger people to talk about their sex lives or drug use with their doctors, and doctors don't tend to ask their older patients about sex or drug use. Finally, older people often mistake the symptoms of HIV/AIDS for the aches and pains of normal aging, so they are less likely to get tested. 2
Featured Links
HIV/AIDS Topic: Persons Aged 50 and Over
From CDC's Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention
HIV/AIDS among Persons Aged 50 and Over
From CDC's Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention
HIV Disease in Individuals Ages Fifty and Above
Publication from the HIV/AIDS Bureau of the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
Special Needs of Elderly HIV Positive African Americans
Abstract from the 2003 National HIV Prevention Conference
HIV, AIDS, and Older People
Fact sheet from the National Institute on Aging
En Español
What are HIV Prevention Needs of Adults Over 50?
From Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, University of California at San Francisco
En Español
HIV in Elderly Presents Unique Challenges
News article from UPI, provided by the AIDS Education Global Information System (AEGIS)
The Elderly, HIV/AIDS and Sustainable Rural Development
Paper presented at a seminar on Aging and Rural Development sponsored by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), provided by the Sustainable Development Department of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
HIV Over 50
From AARP The Magazine
En Español
HIV/AIDS and Older People
Information from the
Global Action on Aging presented at the Second World Assembly on Aging, September 2002
Older People and HIV/AIDS
Resources from The Body: An AIDS and HIV Information Resource
Older People and HIV
From AIDS InfoNet
En Español
1 HIV/AIDS and Older People. National Institute on Aging
2 HIV/AIDS and Older People. National Institute on Aging
