Factors affecting the emotional and physical health of aging latinos living with HIV/AIDS on the United States-Mexico border

With the continual advancement of antiretroviral therapy (ART), the mortality rates of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) who successfully adhere to the medication regimens has decreased dramatically, and those infected with the virus are living to advanced ages. However, little research emphasis has been placed on the physical and mental healthcare needs of this aging population, especially within the Latino population living on the U.S.- Mexico border. One of the main objectives of our study was to inform healthcare workers about the needs of this border population. This paper presents data from a qualitative NIH study on ARV adherence on the US-Mexico Border (M.Shedlin, PI). The study sample consisted of 61 men and women of Mexican origin, ages 18 and older. In-depth interviews of an older subset of this sample were conducted in 18 participants (12 males and 6 females) to explore issues affecting older Latino PLWHAs. Aging Latino PLWHA on the U.S. Mexico border require specific health education and healthcare services that differ from younger populations of PLWHA. Interventions focused on this population must take into consideration their knowledge of, comfort with, and access to new medical knowledge and protocols. In addition, such interventions must consider specific needs reflecting possible declines in cognition as well as emotional support for common stressors for this population such as experiencing the loss of friends or partners due to aging, illness, and violence.