Your Guide to HIV & Aging

Thanks to modern treatments, people are living longer with HIV than they used to. Consider Rae Lewis-Thornton, who at age 59 is one of the 379,000 Americans over 55 living with HIV. "I never thought I would live this long. I never considered what this period would look like," she told HealthyWomen.

In our new education program, we explore HIV and aging, including the health challenges people with HIV face as they get older. Dr. Sharon Allison-Ottey explained, "If you get older and have HIV, it puts you at increased risk for heart disease — COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) in particular — lung disease, bone loss, osteoporosis and certain cancers." In our recent Real Women, Real Stories, read how Stephanie Brooks Wiggins became the unlikely face of HIV in her community, but felt liberated and empowered in her church group and larger community.

Living longer with HIV also means many face hurdles when it comes to getting treatment, stigma around the condition and the high cost of treatment. Reducing these barriers to care can make HIV/AIDS a chronic condition rather than a death sentence.

In our story, "It May Come as a Surprise, but Older Women Get HIV, Too," we explore the challenges patients with HIV/AIDS face and how one woman overcame them to get the care she needed. "I know you're going to feel like it's the end of the world, but it's not," Tracey Kelly said. "Live your life, take the meds, grab the bull by the horns."

This resource was created with support from BD, Gilead, Janssen and Merck.

Women Can Get HIV, Too. That’s Why They Need to Get Tested for HIV.

PrEP Is for Women, Too

No HIV for Me: Protect Yourself from HIV with PrEP and PEP

After Being Sexually Assaulted, I Started Taking PrEP — and I Plan to Be on It for Life

Medications That Treat and Prevent HIV

Medicamentos para el tratamiento y la prevención del VIH

I Was the First Living Kidney Donor with HIV

HIV/AIDS Support Group Finder

I Was Diagnosed with HIV When I Was 15. It’s Been a Journey of Learning to Love Myself Enough to Take My Meds.

How HIV Affects Menopause and Menopause Affects HIV

En qué forma el VIH afecta la menopausia y viceversa

HIV, Aging and Whole Person Care

Assessing Current Knowledge Related to HIV, Aging and Women's Health

Your Words Can Make a Difference in the Fight Against HIV Stigma

Tus palabras pueden marcar la diferencia en la lucha contra el estigma del VIH

Ask the Expert: HIV and Aging Video

PrEP and PEP: Prevention for HIV

PPrE y PEP: Prevención para el VIH

Clinically Speaking: Questions to Ask Your Healthcare Provider About Your HIV Treatment

Conversación sobre la salud: Preguntas para tu proveedor de servicios médicos sobre tu tratamiento del VIH

I Believe I’m Aging Faster Because I Have HIV

Growing Older With HIV

Envejecer con VIH

Keeping My HIV Diagnosis a Secret for a Year Taught Me a Lot About People’s Stereotypes

Why Isn’t HIV Care Reaching Those Who Need It Most?

¿Por qué los servicios médicos para el VIH no están llegando a las personas que más los necesitan?

From Shame to Advocacy: My Decades-Long Journey Living — and Thriving — With HIV

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) & Aging Survey

When Grandma Has HIV

It May Come as a Surprise, but Older Women Get HIV, Too

Esto podría sorprenderle, pero mujeres de mayor edad también pueden contraer el VIH

HIV and Older Women

The Connection Between HIV and Mental Health in the Older Adult