HIV Long-Term Survivors Awareness Day (June 5, 2023)
Posted June 5, 2023
HIV Long-Term Survivors Awareness Day (HLTSAD) on June 5th is a day to honor long-term survivors and raise awareness of their needs, issues, resilience, and experience. The 2023 theme is “Mobilize to Thrive: Prioritizing Quality of Life,” a call to action to prioritize and improve the Quality of Life for long-term survivors and Older Adults with HIV.
This observance day is led by Let’s Kick ASS—AIDS Survivor Syndrome (LKA):
“The selection of June 5 for this annual observance coincides with the anniversary of the first official reporting of what became known as the AIDS epidemic on June 5, 1981. When the CDC first reported on five cases of a mysterious disease affecting young gay men. June 5, 1981 is considered the start of the AIDS pandemic.
Today, HIV Long-Term Survivors (HLTS) represent a diverse group of people diagnosed with HIV before the advent of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy or HAART in 1996. We make up about 25% of all people living with HIV and AIDS. 1.2 million people are living with HIV in the U.S. That makes about 300,000 long-term survivors, defined as individuals who acquired HIV before 1996 and the introduction of HAART.
HLTS also includes people born with HIV or who acquired the virus as babies and are now in their 30s and 40s. HLTS are also those living with HIV and AIDS for over 25 years.
People living with HIV/AIDS deserve to age with dignity.”
Let’s Kick ASS identifies the following priorities for long-term survivors:
- Make the quality of life for HIV long-term survivors and older adults aging with HIV and AIDS a true priority
- Demand universal treatment access to help end the HIV epidemic, which is the message of the #JourneyTo400K campaign from the team that created Undetectable Equals Untransmittable (#UequalsU)
- Prioritize culturally aware mental health care
- Overcome the challenges of poverty and economic insecurity
- Fight discrimination and invisibility against older adults with HIV and AIDS. It is called “ageism” and will not be condoned.
Care and Wellbeing Center
Learn more about older adults aging and HIV through our partner organization under the Training & Health Equity Collaborative, the Care and Wellbeing Center (CWC).
The Care and Wellbeing Center provides training and technical assistance to HIV and Aging service organizations across the Western United States, educating providers on how to best care for people living with HIV over 50. CWC’s overall goal is to improve access and quality of care for all people living with HIV over 50.
Stay up to date on CWC learning activities and resources!
Access Relevant HIV Learning Network Trainings:
HIV Learning Network – Geriatric Assessment for People with HIV, Part I: Multimorbidity & Polypharmacy
Description: According to the CDC, the number and percentage of people ≥50 years old with diagnosed HIV continues to increase, 38% in 2011– to 47% in 2015. In this session, Dr. Meredith Greene, MD will review the changes we as providers can expect in our patients with HIV, and review the essential steps and approach required to complete a geriatric assessment. She will discuss the complexities of patients experiencing multiple morbidities, and how to manage treatment regimens of medications to treat them.
HIV Learning Network – Geriatric Assessment for People with HIV, Part II: Geriatric Syndromes
Desrciption: We invited Dr. Meredith Greene, MD, back to present part II of her June 2021 talk on geriatric assessments to review the IAS-USA 2020 Antiretroviral Drugs for Treatment and Prevention of HIV Infection in Adults 2020 Recommendations that added frailty to the list of recommended assessments to make for aging adults with HIV.
Resources from our Partners:
- HealthHIV Pozitively Aging Resource (Webpage)
- Gilead Sciences 2021 HIV Age Positively Report (PDF)
- Optimizing HIV Care for People Aging with HIV: Putting Together the Best Health Care Team – Reference Guide for Aging with HIV (PDF)
- HIVInfo HIV Long-Term Survivors Day Resource (Webpage)
- Videos From HIV and Aging Northern California Conference 2021 (YouTube videos)
- 2021 40 Years Of Aids 40 Years Of Surviving Voices (Vimeo video)
