By 2015 more than half of all people living with HIV in the US will be over 50.
It doesn’t matter how old you are: anyone can become infected with HIV. Thanks to advances in medical treatment, people are living longer with the virus—in some cases more than 30 years (and counting). At the same time, older adults are rarely targeted in HIV prevention campaigns and may not realize that their behaviors can put them at risk for HIV infection. As the population of older Americans at risk for—or living with—HIV/AIDS grows, the daily realities and challenges of their lives remain largely invisible in our youth-oriented culture.
The Graying of AIDS combines portraits and oral histories of both long-term survivors and older adults who contracted HIV later in life with HIV/AIDS information to increase awareness, sensitivity, and collaboration among caregiving professionals.
This project and website are works in progress; more portraits and supporting materials will be added in the future.
View a short video trailer here.Our global exhibition, A Graying Pandemic, features formal portraits and brief oral history interviews with older adults from around the world. It originated at AIDS2012 in Washington, DC, with additional portraits and interviews created at AIDS2014 in Melbourne, Australia.
