1. Health
HIV, AIDS, and Older People

Grace was a happily married woman with a family and a career. After more than 20 years of marriage, her husband left her. After her divorce, she began dating George, a close family friend she had known for years. They became lovers. Because she was beyond childbearing years, she wasn't worried about getting pregnant and didn't think about using condoms. And because she had known George for years, it didn't occur to her to ask about his sexual history or if he had been tested for HIV.

At age 55 she had a routine medical checkup. Her blood tested positive for HIV. George had infected her. She will spend the rest of her life worrying that the virus would develop into life-threatening AIDS - that any cough, sneeze, rash or flu would, in fact, indicate AIDS and perhaps the beginning of the end of her life.

Table Of Contents

What Is HIV? AIDS?
How Do People Get HIV/AIDS?
Is HIV/AIDS Different in Older People?
HIV/AIDS, People of Color and Women
Treatment and Prevention
Resources

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