Paul offers ’hope for the elders’ in this ’Positive Spin’ campaign by AIDS.gov.

 Friday, September 18, marks the eighth annual National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day (NHAAAD). Organized by the AIDS Institute and other partners, the campaign hopes to focus on the HIV-related challenges facing the aging population.

According to the AIDS Institute, the awareness day targets:

    • People living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs) who are aging with the disease or already over 50 at the time of their initial diagnosis,

    • Increasing the use of protection from HIV infection, especially among the baby boomer population, and

  • The increasing number of grandparents becoming the primary guardians for children who have lost their parent(s) to HIV/AIDS.

To help recognize NHAAAD, AIDS.gov offers a series of digital resources, such as a video interview with Paul, who was diagnosed in 1987 and offers “hope for the elders.”

In related news, the grassroots group Let’s Kick ASS (AIDS Survivor Syndrome) has published the “HIV Long-Term Survivors Declaration,” an empowering eight-page document that offers a vision for the future of long-term survivors.

In addition, an awareness campaign titled “Don’t Take VAT” by Theratechnologies focuses on excess visceral adipose tissue (VAT), which can be a health risk for some people living with HIV.

And since 2006, the Graying of AIDS project has been documenting older HIV-positive people around the word. POZ magazine highlights the project in its current feature “Older, Wiser, Ready for Their Close-Up.”