SOCIAL-WORK, AIDS AND THE ELDERLY - CURRENT KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE

Commonly held notions to the contrary, the elderly are increasingly vu lnerable to HIV infection. This paper reviews the latest knowledge on the prevalence, the age-specific vulnerabilities, and the diagnostic c omplexities of geriatric AIDS. The limited information on psychologica l and social correlates of AIDS in the elderly is summarized. Practice recommendations tailored to the elderly and elaborating social work f unctions of education, screening and assessment, case management, coun seling, interdisciplinary collaboration, caregiver support, advocacy, and knowledge building are offered. The spread of HIV to older persons is viewed as a challenge to social workers committed to perfecting th e profession's biopsychosocial paradigm.