Challenges of ageing with HIV

Catherine Murombedzi
IN Zimbabwe, the first person who tested HIV positive was in 1985 and the person is now late. Today, we have a living testimony of a person who tested HIV positive in the early 1990s and is a champion in breaking stigma and discrimination barriers. There is a tendency to forget that older generation that is ageing with HIV. There are real people stories living today from the late 80s to the 90s. Mukoma Tonderai Chiduku is one such person now in his 50s and has experienced stigma, discrimination, knowledge gap and then no access to treatment. Today there is access to treatment, but after a struggle as thousands died before that phase.

Chiduku is now the national stigma index co-ordinator and agrees that strides and attitudes have changed, but stigma still exists. He talked of self stigma which he said was a danger to oneself as living in that cocoon was a barrier to knowledge, treatment and general living.

“Then in the 90s with our comrades in the trenches, Auxillia Chimusoro and many dear departed we faced the wrath of a health delivery system that was in a quagmire itself, the community, our families and we were bewildered. We took it upon ourselves to be open and that was an act of courage. We were treated as outcasts and people feared getting infected even by a handshake. Families even had utensils for people living with HIV and then it was all called Aids. There was no distinction between testing HIV positive and getting sick to Aids status. All was classified as one munhu aneAids (a person suffering from Aids),” said Chiduku at a feedback forum sometime ago.

“HIV is an ageing epidemic with rapidly increasing numbers of people now living with HIV. However, statistics usual capture up to 49 years, but we are there. We have needs like everyone else,” said Chiduku.

“The coming on board of anti-retroviral therapy gave a new lease of life to people living with HIV and today the numbers of older people living with HIV has grown. I am a living testimony,” said Chiduku.

Chiduku said care and protection as needed by any age group was still fundamental in the older people as they too were still sexually active. “We are still sexually active and with needs like any other person,” said Chiduku to laughter from the participants. The impact of HIV on older people is generally the same as on other age groups. A person in the 60s can still get infected with HIV if they do not use protection, having multiple partners, inter-generational sex and have sexually transmitted infections.

Older people therefore become a target group and policies and strategies, interventions have to be formulated to meet the needs and rights of this group.

In our communities we all know that older people are care givers after having lost children to death.

When one gives to older people they give back to their communities. There are organisations that specifically take care of the needs of the aged but with shortage funds it becomes difficult because more people need help.

HelpAge is one such organisation that helps, but the needs of the older people are growing too. Older people lack literacy and numeracy classes are needed so they can understand messages on caring for orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) and accessing social protection programmes.

Psychosocial support can help older people and OVC deal with trauma of loss of their offspring and parents.

If health care centres have youth friendly corners then older people have to be treated with dignity and there should be a no queue policy for older people at any health care centre.

There can even be older health care trained counsellors who deal specifically with their peers making them understand the benefits of treatment for their need or for the children under their care.

UNAIDS/WHO estimates that 12 million children have lost one or both parents to HIV in Eastern and Southern Africa and according to HelpAge at least 40 perecnt of the children are taken care of by older carers.

Financial protection through cash, food and other support programmes are required. Some people may argue that this breeds dependency syndrome. These are elderly people no longer in the working category hence social protection is necessary.

In Mozambique there is a literacy programme which targets older women. Train a woman you have empowered a community.

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