CCO Infectious Disease Podcast

My Lived Experience as a Woman Aging With HIV

Episode Summary

This podcast features perspectives from Melanie Reese, an older woman with HIV, about challenges faced by this special population and potential solutions to ensure aging people have the tools needed to navigate life.

Episode Notes

In this podcast, Melanie Reese, a woman aging with HIV, shares her perspectives on the added challenges faced by older women with HIV—an underserved, underresourced, and underresearched group—and talks about potential solutions that should be considered, such as:

• Listen and prioritize concerns brought to you by older women with HIV to improve trust in you and the medical profession
• Promote self-advocacy for women to improve their interactions with healthcare professionals, such as opening the dialogue about sexual health
• Support mental health by ensuring a baseline neurologic exam to monitor for any cognitive decline
• Emphasize the importance of self-care and prioritizing oneself
• Address psychosocial issues by finding ways for patients to connect with others
• Advocate to change policies, standards of care, and laws that govern all places that care for those who are aging and need assistance in care

Faculty
Melanie Reese
Subject Matter Expert, HIV Aging
Technical Expert Panel
Health Resources and Services Administration
HIV/AIDS Bureau
Baltimore, Maryland

Link to full program: 
https://bit.ly/3KkF4iZ