Almost Over

I can’t believe that this semester is almost over; about a week left! Thinking back on the class, I have realized how much I have learned. I knew the basics of the disease when we started such as how it is contracted and that people have to live with it for the rest of their lives, and end up dying from complications due to a weakened immune system. I now know much more. I know what the virus is doing inside the hosts body as well as what the symptoms can be and when and what types of tests can be performed to test for the presence of HIV antibodies. I have learned about the drug treatments and their side effects and I think most importantly I have learned what people go through that have the disease. This is what stood out the most going through this class; the great ordeals people with HIV have to go through. I think the best part of the class was meeting actual people dealing with it and also asking my pen pal personal questions.

I have met many people with HIV so far in my career. I can see the struggle they go through, and most seem very upbeat and happy. I think that is the key for most to get through every day; to be happy and look on the bright side of things. It’s hard to watch people waste away; just as we saw Tom do in Silverlake Life, and there is nothing we can do for them. It is a horrible disease that cannot be taken lightly. People, especially people our age, know there are drug treatments for HIV and think it’s not a death sentence anymore and continue their risky behaviors. Yeah, as our professors have said, education is not working, but that is all we have and we need to keep it up; we need to educate young, such as kids in elementary school, before they start to be sexually active.

We know so much about the disease, yet know so little on how to stop it. Hopefully in our life time, we will find a way to stop the spread. Until then, we must act as if everyone is potentially carrying the virus.

November 18, 2009 HIV and the Elderly

I have read a bunch of reports about HIV/AIDS in people over the age of 50. There was a lot of information out there. It seems that elderly people need their own special care programs. They are not educated about the disease and are rarely tested. They do not seek help due to embarrassment and lack of knowledge of agencies and available services. It seems to me that older people do not seek testing or treatment because of their perceived role in their families and communities.
There is an organization called the National Association on HIV Over Fifty (NAHOF) and they say that there are specific ways to target older people. A spokesman said “specific programs must be implemented for older adults who need to be informed about the transmission and prevention of HIV, more research is needed to study seniors’ sexual and drug-using behaviors to determine HIV disease progression and treatments and programs aimed at reaching health care and service providers should cover misdiagnoses, treatments, support groups and more” (Anderson, 2008).
We need to convey to older people age-appropriate information an prevention messages. I believe a lot of what they should learn is safe sex practices; most people over 50 probably have never had a sex-ed class in their life.


Anderson, M. (2008). Hiv/aids and the elderly. Retrieved from http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/article_2010.shtml

HIV and the Elderly

My girlfriend works in a nursing home and is always looking over my shoulder when I am doing things for my HIV class. I was really trying to find new things I haven’t seen anyone talk about yet and was unable to find anything awesome. She told me to talk about HIV and the elderly. She says she sees HIV patients trying to get admitted several times a week, often being refused because they lack adequate health insurance to cover their expensive drug regiments. So I thought it was a great idea, you don’t hear of the elderly and HIV very much, most people would probably think they would pass away from such a powerful virus.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, over 10% of HIV-positive people in the U.S. are older than age 50, by 2015, this number will double (CDC, 2007). People don’t like to think about it but elderly people do have sex. A lot of which is unprotected and with multiple partners. With the advent of Viagra for men and hormones for women and no risk for pregnancy, some nursing home residents become “bed hoppers” as I have heard a few of my girlfriends colleagues say. They face the same risk as anyone else. We all know HIV does not discriminate. You guys might have heard about the STD outbreak in The Villages, just to back up what I am saying. A gynecologist said she “treats more cases of herpes and the human papilloma virus in the retirement community than she did in the city of Miami” (Clickorlando, 2008).
Elderly people who get diagnosed with HIV have an increased risk of mortality; increasing with age, sometimes dying within months of diagnosis. Elderly people can be misdiagnosed due to health conditions that often effect people of their age, such as weight loss, memory loss, confusion and behavior changes (CDC, 2007).
I will look into this further for my next post, it seems really interesting.

(2008). Stds running rampant in retirement community. clickorlando, Retrieved from http:// www.clickorlando.com/news/9283707/detail.html

(2007). Centers for disease control and prevention. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/hiv /topics/over50/challenges.htm

November 11, 2009

I have learned a lot this past week. The M & M project gave me an idea of what someone with HIV has to go through. The thought of having to take that many drugs everyday for the rest of my life, trying not to miss any, and the toll they would take on my organs was scary.
I wanted to go to the men’s panel next week but I have an exam in another class and I will not be able to go. I went to the women’s panel and it was very interesting; I have never listened to people talk about such a serious disease that they themselves are living with.
I watched the movie Philadelphia the other day. It was a good movie, now I have to write the paper about it.
This week’s QOTW was a little crazy. I cannot even understand why actual countries would put some thought into doing those things; implanting tracking chips or putting people in camps?

Blog #1

Hey everybody. I haven't done much blogging yet, but I will get going now. I just got back from New York, my uncle had passed away unexpectedly and I had to rush home; to top it all off I have been really sick. I am still really confused as to what I need to talk about. Can anybody help me? I really haven't a clue. Any good suggestions?
Before I went home to NY, I met a person who has had HIV for seventeen years, and is still doing fine. He had only recently been put on HIV medications, and said he has no noticeable side effects. I work in a hospital and I had to get him for a test, so I asked him a few questions, and he was friendly enough to answer them. He said he was a 'non-progressor'. I guess it just goes to show you the virus effects everyone differently; depending on the strain you contract as well as the genes you inherit. It is possible to keep on living a normal life with HIV.

New Guy

My name is Lucas and am joining the blog late. I had a pen pal but I haven't heard from him in a while; I looked at his own blog and he said he was really sick, this was on the 8th, so I suppose that is why I haven't heard from him.
I came into this class knowing some things about HIV/AIDS. I work in a hospital and have seen many HIV positive patients, some I have actually built somewhat of a relationship with because they were there for months. I knew how the disease was spread and about the different opportunistic infections and how it has become a world-wide epidemic.
I now know much more about the virus. I have learned a lot through our readings, discussions, movies and projects. Not only do I know a lot more about the disease itself, but Iam starting to learn about what the people affected by this disease go through and how tough it can be.