Patients with HIV aged 55 and older have unmet needs related to ancillary HIV services, according to results published in JAIDS. Sharoda Dasgupta, PhD, MPH, and colleagues examined data from the Medical Monitoring Project to determine weighted percentages of cisgender men and women with HIV aged 55 and older (N=3,200) who had unmet needs for ancillary services. In total, 37.7% of participants had one or more unmet needs: 16.6% for HIV support services, 26.9% for non-HIV medical services, and 26.7% for subsistence services. The researchers reported no statistically significant differences in unmet needs by gender. The prevalence of one or more unmet needs was higher among non-White individuals (prevalence ratio [PR] range, 1.35-1.63), persons with housing instability (PR=1.70), and those without private insurance (PR range, 1.49-1.83). “Given the challenges that older [people with HIV] face related to the interaction of HIV and aging-associated factors, deficits in the provision of ancillary services should be addressed,” Dr. Dasgupta and colleagues wrote.
