HIV/AIDS and ageing: a briefing paper

The purpose of this paper is to explore the main ways in which HIV and AIDS impact on older women and men in developing countries. It also reviews the research, programme and policy implications of including older people in current and future interventions to halt and reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS by 2015 and links them to national and international development targets.

The report outlines the current programme and advocacy work that HelpAge International is undertaking to support older people affected by HIV/AIDS. It identifies the actions required to tackle the devastation caused by the epidemic, including:

• national and international targets on reversing the spread and impact of HIV/AIDS should include older people as carers, educators and an ‘at risk’ group and that older people are included in national and international responses to combat HIV/AIDS, such as the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
• policies and programmes to combat and prevent the impacts of HIV/AIDS should form a central pillar of development expenditure and acknowledge the interface with poverty reduction, health, education and sustainable development
• the importance of building the capacity of older people’s organisations to understand and act upon the implications of HIV/AIDS whilst continuing to build the capacity of other organisations to work with and for older people
• the undertaking of research to develop the evidence base on older people’s needs and roles in the HIV/AIDS epidemic in order to make the case for older people’s inclusion in HIV/AIDS interventions
• assessing the impact of HIV/AIDS on development programmes and policy for older people and mainstream HIV/AIDS into all programme interventions, including emergency response
• building partnerships between research institutes, governments, HIV/AIDS service providers and organisations of older people to ensure the inclusion of older people in research, programme and policy work
• holding governments to account on the commitments they have made in national and international policies and instruments to fight HIV/AIDS and mainstream ageing into development and human rights policy and practice
• fostering intergenerational approaches to direct support, policy and advocacy interventions in the global fight against HIV/AIDS

[Adapted from authors]