Older-age parents and the AIDS epidemic in Thailand: changing impacts in the era of antiretroviral therapy

This report focuses on the implications of the AIDS epidemic on older aged parents, in particular in the context of the increasing availability of antiretroviral therapy (ART). The report examines the situation in Thailand and focuses on Thai parents of adults on ART.

The paper states that Thailand provides an appropriate setting given the extensive progress made towards universal access to ART and the large number of older persons involved. Yet, it suggests that the findings could be applicable to many other countries in the region.

The paper finds the following: 

• most older age Thais continue to co-reside with an adult child and depend on adult children for their material support at more advanced ages
• there is considerable improvement in Thai older-age parents’ psychological well-being and reductions in their financial burdens
• many parents continue to receive material support from the PLHA (persons living with HIV/AIDS) on ART and can anticipate old age support in the future

The authors draw the following policy implications:

• the success of the continuing roll out of ART depends on developing appropriate approaches to facilitating long-term adherence within the financial constraints of resource-limited countries
• programmes to promote treatment adherence need to be tailored to the social and cultural context in which they are implemented
• home visits by PLHA peers can play an important role in facilitating family members’ effectiveness in their efforts to assist treatment adherence
• such efforts should not only concern the basic requirements of ART but also what side effects might arise and how to deal with them
• there is a need to incorporate close family members, including older-age parents, more explicitly into programmes intended to augment adherence