About Us
We support the well-being of aging adults living with or affected by HIV.
We envision a thriving, member-driven community that fosters hope and creates a sense of belonging among aging adults living with or affected by HIV and everyone who supports us.
Our Values
Belonging
If you are an aging adult living with or affected by HIV, you’re always welcome here.
Community-driven
We believe everyone who participates in Aging Well—from first-time visitors to longtime participants—should have a say in the direction of our community.
Visibility
We recognize, share, and honor the life experiences of all individuals in our community.
Learning
We’re committed to helping others understand our strengths, needs, and experiences—and in enlisting their commitments and resources to build support.
Resilience
We believe in the power of human connection to heal wounds and inspire hope.
Collaboration
We believe that we accomplish our best work with others, realizing that we strengthen each other by sharing each other’s values and resources.
Inclusion
We accept the responsibility for creating a positive culture, and safeguarding equity, dignity, and respect for all. We invite your suggestions on how we might improve.
To every long-term survivor, we say: You are not alone. You are welcome here. Your presence will make a difference.
Our Story
In the darkest days of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, few believed that people living with HIV would still be alive 10 years later, much less 35. The release of antiretroviral drugs in the mid-‘90s gave our community new hope, but even then most people didn’t give much thought to issues around HIV and aging.
Today, the number of aging adults living with or affected by HIV is substantial. More than half of the people living with HIV in the U.S. are over the age of 50, and estimates say that by 2030 the ratio will be closer to 70%.
Although we overcame the odds, many of us still carry scars from the struggle. Our community was decimated, our social networks torn apart. We lost partners, friends, and family. We were shunned and stigmatized. A 2018 study found that nearly three in four aging adults with HIV show some symptoms of complex post-traumatic stress.
Those of us who are HIV-negative also experienced trauma. We lost partners, friends, and family and today face our own hardships, including survivor’s guilt, depression, and loneliness.
But we’ve also demonstrated a remarkable perseverance and resilience. We discovered strength when it was most needed, and found support in the most unlikely places. Today we are seeing ways to move ahead and create the best possible life.
Our journeys vary, but many of us have found how to replace sorrows with joy, difficulties with determination, and turn our life experiences into sources of strength.
We all have a unique story—and each of our stories matters.
Aging Well exists to help aging adults who relate to these experiences—living with or affected by HIV—repair their social networks, build new ones, and create futures we never dreamed of. We don’t “fix” members. We are a community that faces the challenges of aging with HIV together. We listen, we support, we accept, and we love.
To every long-term survivor, we say: You are not alone. You are welcome here. Your presence will make a difference.