Honoring National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day
Today, our community is recognizing National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day (NHAAD). According to HIV.gov, we commemorate this day every year on September 18 to draw attention to those living full lives with HIV and successfully aging as available treatments advance. In this spirit, we’d like to highlight how we are working within our community to uplift LGBTQ+ elders living with HIV/AIDS and how you can get involved or seek support.
SAGEPositive was formed in 2016 within SAGE’s Care Management department to support LGBTQ+ folks over 50 living with, or potentially impacted by, HIV. Our program is modeled after New York State’s Ending the Epidemic three-point plan that focuses on HIV care, prevention, and testing.
Who We Are
Ever since the earliest days of the AIDS crisis, SAGE has ensured that older people with, and vulnerable to HIV have access to age- and LGBTQ-competent services. Since the 1980s, SAGE has pioneered programs for older people living with HIV, including one of the country’s very first HIV support groups for older people living with HIV/AIDS.
In the decades since, SAGE has broadened our services for older people with and vulnerable to HIV, addressing the intersection of HIV and aging through our SAGEPositive program. Since its founding in 2016, SAGEPositive has served almost 1900 older adults who are either living with or potentially impacted by HIV.
What We Offer
SAGEPositive staff currently work with the aging HIV community on multiple levels from individual case management to facilitating support groups and running community events. This includes events around sex and aging and advocating for the needs of folks aging with HIV at the local government level.
SAGEPositive maintains an active case management program for folks aging with HIV in New York City. In 2023, SAGEPositive staff supported over 70 clients with connections to care, affordable housing applications, advocacy, and more.
SAGE’s Center for Sexual Wellness and Aging
SAGEPositive now oversees SAGE’s Center for Sexual Wellness and Aging which facilitates opportunities for LGBTQ+ older people to have conversations about sex, intimacy, and aging in affirming settings. Since its founding in early 2024, the Center has connected dozens of participants to medical and mental health providers to learn about how STI and HIV prevention and management medications affect folks as they age.
Social Connection
Older people with HIV disproportionately live alone and experience social isolation as compared to their peers without HIV. SAGEPositive provides opportunities for social connection through social events, wellness workshops, and cultural outings. Over the past year, SAGEPositive has held over 40 such events engaging over 1000 participants. In May, Sam Sheldon, SAGEPositive’s Program Manager, presented at HealthHIV’s annual SYNC Conference about intervention methods for older folks with HIV experiencing social isolation.
SAGEPositive staff Sam Sheldon (left) and David Martin (right) with HIV advocate Lee Soulja Simmons (center).
Advocacy Work
SAGEPositive has developed strong relationships with agencies throughout New York City that serve folks aging with HIV and has worked with staff to develop greater competency around LGBTQ+ aging in the HIV community.
In the past year, SAGEPositive staff have presented to Human Resources Administration staff, HIV/AIDS Services Administration directors, HIV Housing Advisory Committee biannual partner meeting, and New York’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
LGBTQ+ Elder Voices:
- ‘It Should Be Like Taking Your Temperature’: Getting Tested for HIV Is Self-Care
- Ken Pinkela, LGBTQ+ Elder and Gay Vet, Tells His Story
Helpful Resources:
- Breaking the Silence: Combating HIV Stigma Together
- Demystifying the Older Americans Act for Older People Living with HIV
- States weigh how to protect older adults from HIV-related discrimination in health care – Route Fifty (route-fifty.com)
- Aging & HIV: An introduction to legal issues facing people living and aging with HIV
- Better Integration Between HIV and Aging Systems is Critical
- Demystifying the Older Americans Act for Older People Living with HIV (youtube.com)
If you or someone you know is LGBTQ+, over 50, and living with HIV in New York City, let them know about SAGEPositive. Get involved by emailing sagepositive@sageusa.org or calling 646-660-8955.
