Aging in the Context of HIV/AIDS: Spaces for Renegotiation and Recomposition of Mutual Solidarity in Burkina Faso

Abstract

Purpose:The HIV-infected older people in sub-Saharan Africa are inevitably vulnerable to chronic health-related conditions, yet the needed social support for these people is mostly inadequate. Drawing on the anthropology of disease and health paradigms, this study explores the recomposition of multidimensional and multidirectional nature of mutual familial support for older people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS in Burkina Faso.Methods:We conducted multiple in-depth interviews among 147 individuals recruited from nonprofit organizations in Ouagadougou, Bobo-Dioulasso, Ouahigouya, and Yako through 2 projects funded by the National Agency for AIDS Research. Thematic and narrative analytical frameworks were used to analyze the data.Results:We found that older people suffered serious socioeconomic and psychological challenges associated with HIV/AIDS. Older people were particularly vulnerable to the double burden of HIV/AIDS and caregiving responsibility for family members infected with the disease. However, the infected older people who received adequate treatment and familial support regained sociocultural positions as agents for cultural transition and material/emotional resources.Conclusions:Although HIV/AIDS potentially renegotiated the nature, intensity, and direction of familial support for vulnerable older people, the extrafamily solidarity seems an integral part of the great cycle of reciprocity and intrafamily mutual support. Health and policy interventions targeted at strengthening the interpersonal relationships and support for HIV/AIDS-infected and HIV/AIDS-affected older people are needed to improve their independence and well-being.

Measurement and projection of the burden of disease attributable to population aging in 188 countries, 1990-2050: A population-based study

“…People with HIV who receive ART are living longer and are aging. In Africa, where in the past HIV mainly affected adolescents and adults of reproductive age, the aging HIV epidemic must also be taken into account [ 29 , 30 ]. Care for the elderly infected with HIV and receiving ART is increasingly complex as they suffer from multiple sources of the burden of pain, treatment toxicity, and age-associated comorbidities [ 31 , 32 ].…”