The ageing process of people living with HIV/AIDS

The aim of this study is to provide the Social Service with some reflections on the increase in the number of elderly people living with HIV/AIDS, highlighting the process of ageing with the disease as an expression of the social question. We carried out field research with users of a support group held at the Pedro Ernesto University Hospital, highlighting their long experience with AIDS and their accounts of their post-diagnosis experiences. Age as a demarcator of old age presents contradictions, so our discussion considers people living with HIV/Aids to be elderly from the age of 50, emphasising its meaning for users. Among the possible actions of the social worker regarding care for people living with HIV/Aids, we highlight the socio-assistance nature of the profession, through socio-educational actions, signalling the importance of comprehensive care in this field.

Autorentext
Social worker with a postgraduate degree from the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ). Specialist in Health through the Social Work Residency Programme at the Pedro Ernesto University Hospital (UERJ), where she worked as a resident social worker in the Adult Health Programme, caring for people living with HIV/Aids.