Daily life for eight urban gay men with HIV/AIDS

Objective. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to gain an un derstanding of the daily life experiences of eight gay men with HIV/AIDS li ving alone in New York City. Method. The participants ranged in age from 25 to 50 years. Data were prima rily collected using in-depth personal interviews in 1996 followed by telep hone interviews I year later: Constant-comparison and thematic analyses wer e used to identify, themes and subthemes. Results. Two broad themes with related subthemes were generated from the da ta. "A Reasonably Stable Base" represented the emotional physical and envir onmental foundation that preexisted or was created as a consequence of livi ng with HIV/AIDS. This theme played a particularly important role in the pa rticipants' lives, especially during periods of emotional and physical inst ability "Finding and Maintaining Balance" was a second theme that illustrat ed strategies used for managing and readjusting daily routines, goals and p riorities, as well as how the participants experienced this readjustment pr ocess. Conclusions. All of the participants developed their own daily living strat egies that were comparable to intervention methods provided in occupational therapy such as energy conservation and work simplification. The findings suggest that occupational therapy practitioners could potentially assist ur ban gay men with HIV/AIDS with finding and maintaining stability and balanc e in their daily lives.