The number of HIV/AIDS cases among people over 50 doubled in Georgia over the past decade, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (ajc.com 6/29).
According to the article, doctors maintain that older adults and seniors get little information about how to protect themselves from HIV and are the least likely age group to be tested.
“A lot of times, HIV and other STDs just aren’t discussed between older patients and their doctors,” said Veronika Steenpass, who is finishing her residency at Emory University. “It may be from a stereotype that older people are not sexually active.”
The newspaper reports, however, that organizations such as AID Atlanta, a nonprofit that offers HIV/AIDS services, are bolstering efforts to provide educational programs at senior centers, nursing homes and church settings.
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People in neighborhoods all over New
York City recognize C. Virginia Fields. For nearly 20 years she played
several major roles in city government—including a seven-year term as
Manhattan Borough President and a run for mayor. Now, as the new
president and CEO of the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS
(NBLCA), she brings her political energy to a different campaign:
Battling HIV/AIDS in the African-American community.
Woman of the Month is supported by exclusive advertising from Gilead.
Overheard in the Women's Forum
"My first son was born naturally—a month early—and was 8 lbs 7 ounces. I had to work that day and offloaded an 18 wheeler with an electric pallet jack so maybe all that vibration got me started. All four of my kids took AZT and didn't really mind it at all. I would recommend having a nipple put aside just for this because sticking the suction thingy in their mouths did not work so well, for me anyway."
