Challenging HIV and AIDS

By Joyce Valdez
June/July 2006

HIV over 50 (junio/julio 2005) Latin Lovin'  (junio/julio 2005) Sex in America (junio/julio 2005)

Doctors usually don’t joke about death with their patients, but Mary Moreno’s does. He can’t help but chuckle when they talk about how the great-grandmother continues to defy the deadly virus that has stalked her for decades.

“My doctor says I’ll probably die of old age before I get AIDS,” says the HIV-positive 69-year-old, who won a pioneering AIDS discrimination lawsuit against her former employer.

Today, women like Moreno represent the new face of AIDS and the virus that causes it, HIV. It’s a mature face, one not usually seen in public service messages about the disease that has claimed more than 25 million lives worldwide since 1981. In the United States, 11 to 15 percent of AIDS cases occur in people over 50, and women that age are one of the fastest-growing risk groups, according to the National Association on HIV Over Fifty. Within that demographic, reports HIV Wisdom for Older Women, more than half are Hispanic or African American.

Moreno was infected during surgery in 1984, when she received a tainted blood transfusion. At the time, an HIV-positive diagnosis was often akin to a death sentence. Fortunately she had the support of her husband and five children.

“Had I contracted it through a needle or unprotected sex, the stigma would have been much worse,” she notes. “Those people face a double whammy, especially if they’re women. They’re hard on themselves, and society is even harder on them.”

Preventing HIV and AIDS
	Seek counseling if you have any reason to be concerned.
	Get tested if you have engaged in unprotected sex or other high-risk behaviors.
	Always use condoms if you don’t know your partner’s HIV status.
	Never reuse or share needles.
	Donate your own blood for your future use.
	Talk to your doctor about HIV and AIDS.
	Talk to a relative, friend, or colleague about HIV and AIDS.
	Volunteer to help in the fight against HIV and AIDS.
From Broward County, Florida, Health Department

Unfortunately, the “double whammy” hits a growing number of older Latinas because of unprotected sex with their partners, the main cause of AIDS, according to Dr. Elizabeth Ortiz de Valdez, president and CEO of Concilio Latino de Salud, a nonprofit health-education and disease-prevention organization in Phoenix.

“Sex is one of the pleasures of being a human being, and it doesn’t stop once you reach a certain age,” says Valdez. “Hispanic women are engaging in sex and becoming infected by men who have contracted it from someone else.”

Edid González, an HIV outreach coordinator with the Broward County, Florida, Health Department’s Senior HIV Intervention Project, says Latinas re-entering the dating scene after a long absence may find themselves in situations that put them at risk for contracting the virus.

“I know a widow who is 65 and recently retired,” González says. “She started to enjoy life again and met this nice gentleman on a cruise. They had sexual relations, and she got infected.”

González also knows of divorced Latinas exposed after dating younger men who had a history of intravenous drug use and unprotected sex with multiple partners. Viagra and similar medications have exacerbated the problem.

“I’ve seen cases of men who have been married a long time, but they’ve had affairs because Viagra increased their sex drive,” she says.

Valdez, a 62-year-old widow, says, “It’s desirable for seniors to enjoy sexual relations. However, there are risks, and women must take steps to protect themselves.”

Condoms seem like the obvious answer, but they can be a tough sell among postmenopausal women who no longer need birth control or oppose them for religious reasons.

“When you're in your 50s and 60s, you don't think of condoms, or you don't want to ask your partner to wear one,” Valdez says. “For many Latinas, there are also religious barriers to using condoms.”

In some cases, the discussion comes too late. It may be years before HIV or AIDS is diagnosed in older people

And for older Latinas, especially immigrant women, talking about sex and sexually transmitted diseases is taboo. Says Moreno, “Growing up, we were taught that a good woman doesn’t talk about such things.” 

While the family doctor is arguably in the best position to initiate such a discussion, Valdez says many physicians don’t associate sex with older patients.

In some cases, the discussion comes too late. It may be years before HIV or AIDS is diagnosed in older people because the symptoms mimic signs of aging: fatigue, weight loss, and dementia, among others.

“Lots of seniors still think of AIDS as a young person’s disease. Some still think of it as a gay man’s disease,” says González. “A lot of them aren’t sure how AIDS is transmitted or how it can be prevented.”

When discussing sexually transmitted diseases with older Latinas, González, 52, says that being tactful is critical: “It’s important not to talk at them.” She generally introduces the subject gently by saying, “Maybe you have a friend or a relative who has questions about HIV and AIDS. Here’s some information that can help them.”

Moreno, who so far has triumphed over the disease, is part of the effort to educate mature Latinas about HIV and AIDS. She has been the keynote speaker at national conferences, served on the boards of nonprofit health organizations, and participated in AIDS walks with her grandchildren.

Her message: “It doesn’t matter how you got the virus. What matters is how you live with it.”

---

AARP's landmark study about sexuality reveals a revolution in the making and some surprising changes in attitudes and expectations.

These links are provided for informational purposes only. AARP does not endorse, and has no control over, or responsibility for, the linked sites or the content, advertisements, materials, products, or services available on or throughout these sites.

Return to Top