Additional barriers for specific groups of older people with HIV

Long-term survivors living with HIV

• Experience of long-term trauma associated with HIV, loss of peers
• Health impacts of multiple comorbidities and medical treatment

Older First Nations people living with HIV

• Compounding impacts of colonisation, trauma and experiences of racism
• Additional health and disease burden gaps
• Potential for significantly accelerated ageing compared to other groups
• Lack of Aboriginal cultural safety or understanding of ageing in a First Nations context in mainstream aged care and HIV services
• Lack of HIV knowledge and expertise in First Nations aged care service settings
• Concerns about privacy and confidentiality in small communities

Older people from diverse cultural background living with HIV

• Compounding impacts of racism, lack of cultural safety in mainstream aged care and HIV services
• Possible impacts of prior experiences of trauma
• Possible settlement issues or concerns about immigration status
• Lack of understanding of ageing in other cultural contexts in mainstream settings
• Lack of HIV knowledge and expertise in culturally-specific aged care service settings
• Lack of access to ageing and HIV-related information in range of community languages, other communication barriers
• Lack of knowledge about / trust in local service systems and institutions
• Concerns about privacy and confidentiality in small communities

Older LGBTIQA+ people living with HIV

• Compounding impacts of historical and continuing experiences of homophobia, biphobia and transphobia
• Rendering of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and sex characteristics as invisible in mainstream aged care settings, particularly residential settings
• Heteronormativity and cisnormativity among mainstream aged care providers
• Possible fear of being outed, concerns about privacy and confidentiality

Older women living with HIV

• Compounding impacts of sexism and gender inequality including lack of access to resources, economic security, decision making power
• Lower visibility of women generally and older women specifically within HIV care and support settings
• Added responsibilities of caring for others that can make it difficult for women to  care for themselves
• Lack of acknowledgement of sexuality and relationship needs of older people in particular
• Intersecting experiences and impacts associated with HIV, ageing and menopause

Older people living with HIV and disability

• Social exclusion and isolation
• Exclusion from decision making; reduced decision making capacity
• Failure to respect the rights of people living with disability
• Lack of acknowledgment of sexuality of people living with disability, particularly in residential settings
• Communication barriers and inability to communicate needs and concerns

Older people living with HIV in rural, regional and remote areas

• Limited access to aged care and HIV services and supports
• Lack of HIV community peer supports, local networks
• Concerns about privacy and confidentiality in small communities
• Physical and social isolation

💡KNOWLEDGE QUESTION: Name at least one (1) common barrier to seeking support or services for older people living with HIV and one (1) specific barrier for a particular group of older people living with HIV. For each barrier, name at least two (2) strategies a Peer Navigator could apply to support an older person living with HIV to address each barrier.