Growing old with HIV: Lobby warns of emerging challenges

Increased access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) has allowed more patients to live longer. [Courtesy]

People living with HIV are calling for the scale-up of interventions to improve the health and well-being of older people living with HIV.

Increased access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) has allowed more patients to live longer.

Through their umbrella body, the National Empowerment Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Kenya (NEPHAK), people living with HIV acknowledge the success of ART, which has transformed HIV from what was once a fatal diagnosis into a manageable chronic condition.

But as people with HIV live longer, they are increasingly facing health challenges associated with ageing.

These include chronic inflammation, multiple illnesses, complex medication needs, neurocognitive changes and social isolation.

In a communique shared with The Standard, NEPHAK said the changing needs of older people living with HIV require HIV care to be combined with comprehensive geriatric care.

The network said integrating HIV services into routine healthcare should not mean losing sight of the specific needs of older patients.

“Sustaining the health and wellbeing of elderly people living with HIV requires an approach that merges traditional HIV management with comprehensive geriatric care,” NEPHAK said.

The communique was issued as part of the commemoration of the International Day of Older Persons 2026.

The network has identified four areas that need greater attention: clinical and medical management, geriatric and functional care, psychological and social support, and integrated care delivery.

Under clinical care, NEPHAK is calling for the initiation and continuation of safer and better-tolerated ART among adults aged 50 and above, regardless of their CD4 count, to achieve viral suppression and reduce inflammation.

NEPHAK also wants healthcare providers to step up screening for non-HIV conditions, which become increasingly common with age.