We have
produced a new booklet that provides information on living well with HIV as you
get older. A long life with HIV is available to read online, and
in print through our patient information scheme.
The booklet is part of a range of resources available on
aidsmap on health problems, co-morbidities and challenges that people living
with HIV may face as they get older. You can find all these resources on our Living with HIV as you get older page: www.aidsmap.com/ageing-and-HIV
A long life with HIV
More and
more people living with HIV are now in their fifties, sixties or beyond. With the right treatment and care, most people with HIV can expect to have a
near-normal life span.
Many people
have concerns about getting older with HIV. A long life with HIV focuses on the practical things that people can do for themselves to look
after their own health.
The booklet
also provides information on health issues which may arise when living with HIV
long term. This information can often be overwhelming but it’s been broken down
into small sections. We’ve also
included lots of illustrations throughout the booklet to help make it more accessible as well as visually
appealing.
The booklet
is not intended to replace discussions with medical teams – in fact, it should
help you to engage with your doctor or healthcare providers about your health
care.
A long life with HIV includes sections on:
- HIV and your health: life expectancy for people with
HIV, HIV and the ageing process, tailoring your treatment and multiple
medications and drug interactions.
- Other health issues: monitoring your health, and health conditions including raised lipids, high blood pressure, diabetes, bone
problems and menopause.
- Things you can do to look after
your health: taking HIV treatment, stopping smoking and getting more physical
activity.
-
Preparing for the future: work and employment, putting
your affairs in order and learning how to manage multiple healthcare providers.
Each chapter
also includes a ‘Find out more’ section, signposting to further information by
NAM or other organisations.
One of our reviewers, Dr Tristan
Barber from the Royal Free Hospital in London has commented:
“This brilliant booklet from NAM not only looks at the possible
physical impacts of HIV and HIV therapy on people living with HIV infection as
they age but also considers some of the psychological and social impacts
too. It explains things clearly and is a fantastic resource for clinicians
and patients caring for people living with HIV as they get older.”
Living with HIV as you get older
A long life with HIV is part of our Living with HIV as you get older range of resources which also includes:
- Factsheets: 24 titles including HIV
and the ageing process, Life
expectancy for people living with HIV, Multiple
medications and drug interactions and Dealing
with multiple healthcare providers.
-
Side-effects checker: a tool to help you talk to your healthcare team about any side-effects
or symptoms that you are experiencing.
-
Side-effects: a booklet that provides information about possible side-effects of HIV
treatment.
-
Translations: a selection of factsheets translated into Greek, Spanish
and Portuguese.
NAM’s Patient Information Subscription Scheme
UK-based HIV
and GUM clinics can order copies of A long life with HIV and Side-effects as well as
all our other booklets and leaflets in our series The basics, through
our online portal as part of our patient information
subscription scheme.
To find out
if your clinic is registered or for information on joining the scheme, please
contact Susan at susan@nam.org.uk or call 020 7837 6988.
Thank you
A huge thank you to the following people for their assistance in
reviewing this booklet:
Professor Jane Anderson, Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation
Trust; Dr Tristan Barber, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust; Clive Blowes, Terrence Higgins Trust; Garry Brough, Positively UK;
Darren Brown, Chelsea & Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; Dr
Stuart Gibson, Barts Health NHS Trust; Dr Tom Levett, Brighton and Sussex
University Hospitals NHS Trust; Jo Josh, UK-CAB; Dr Fiona Lampe, University
College London; Dr Frank Post, King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; Dr
Damien Ridge, University of Westminster; Dr Dana Rosenfeld, Keele University;
Chris Sandford, Bloomsbury Patient Network; Dr Andrew Ustianowski, Pennine
Acute Hospitals NHS Trust; Dr Jaime Vera, Brighton and Sussex University
Hospitals NHS Trust; Dr Shema Tariq, University College London; Shaun Watson,
Chelsea & Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; Professor Alan Winston,
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust; Dr Mike Youle, Royal Free London NHS
Foundation Trust.
NAM
is grateful to Gilead Sciences Europe Ltd, Janssen-Cilag Ltd, Merck Sharp &
Dohme Corp and ViiV Healthcare for funding the development of A long life with HIV and other resources
in the Living with HIV as you get older
project. Our funders have had no editorial control over the content.