11/12/2022
Copied from an overseas FB group, and just as pertinent to Australia, including Geelong and all Victoria regional/rural areas:
❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🖤🤎
"I want to remind each of you (as HIV+ long-term survivors), how important is your role in our better existence. Every time we speak on the internet, or go to a conference, or participate in a workshop is a great opportunity for others to hear us. If whoever asks and still asking what we need in particular, that means they have not done their work as agencies and organizations.
I can start with , because even in our own HIV and AIDs agencies, ageism is THERE every day. Most of the money they get is used in the prevention and young generations, and newly diagnosed individuals. We need to still have a place on the table in constant conversations and really hear what we need according to wherever we live, so the needs might vary if the long-term survivors live in a ranch, small towns, or big cities. And of course, this also intertwines with our gender, sexual identification, race, etc, etc.
One of the most important things that I keep pushing for is the VERY important simple act of checking on people, when agencies and organizations create events like lunch or dance, you get almost the same people going all the time to these events, but there are many, and this is the largest percentage who are unable to leave attend because of physical or mental difficulties.
If 70% of this community of people living with HIV are over 50 years old, we have the understanding and complications of growing older with HIV for the first time, so unknown territories. Saying that a monthly phone call will be good, but as I mentioned in other postings, if like a small agency located here in San Francisco these other organizations were able to check on all of you, once a month with a social worker, a nurse, and a therapist, it will help us a lot, but also will give a better picture of the needs and difficulties, and also strengths or coping skills all of us have.
If this was possible to do, we'll also have better answers for all our newly diagnosed people about THEIR future, and prevention measures can be done, and act on problems before they become bigger. Many of us we've been fighting for a long time about simply being seen, and years pass by, and not much is done.
It seems not many want to speak about THE AIDS INDUSTRY because they don't want to make feel anyone bad, or to mention what agencies and organizations can do better because then employees feel we're talking about their salaries, etc. No doubt many employees do wonderful things for others but remember also that these jobs have become most of the time, just a job, and they are not there because their hearts told them so, as it was in the past times. This whole AIDS industry has not adapted to the new demographics of the majority of people living with HIV being over 50 years old, but also, once again to learn and help the ones who are still here, surviving, living, still wanting to love and be love, and even if it's a metaphorical answer: TO GROW OLDER WITH DIGNITY.
I hope that you still can see that we have a lot of things to do, and because of those reasons, and simply being human, let's keep helping each other, and let's keep fighting against the stigma and discrimination."
