Letters | Hong Kong must not neglect older people living with HIV
- Readers draw attention to an overlooked demographic in Aids prevention and support work in the city, and discuss how the government can import care home workers from the mainland without adversely affecting local workers
Today is World Aids Day, an annual occasion for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, to show support for people living with HIV, and to commemorate those who have died from an Aids-related illness.
In Hong Kong, the first case of HIV infection was reported in 1984. Like in many other parts of the world, HIV/Aids has undergone a transformation from a life-threatening emergency to a manageable chronic disease in Hong Kong. However, among people living with HIV here, one group has been especially overlooked and forgotten – older people living with HIV. It is a heterogeneous group, comprising both people who had acquired HIV earlier and aged with the disease, and those who acquired HIV in later life.
Research I conducted in collaboration with Aids Concern Hong Kong, the longest-running NGO working on HIV/Aids issues in the city, found that older people living with HIV in Hong Kong face challenges in different aspects of their lives that require the attention of policymakers and service providers.
Many worry that care home staff may be discriminatory towards them should they need residential care in later life. In terms of social life, they find disclosure of their HIV status to their family and friends a big struggle.