FAQ | Stories from an Aging Pandemic
Is this project complete? Stories from an Aging Pandemic is a work-in-progress: some interviews are still being transcribed and edited, […]
About the Project
New Partners & Getting the Word Out About Aging and HIV
January 14th, 2015
Happy New Year! 2015 is already off to an exciting start for The Graying of AIDS: we’re happy to announce a recent partnership with national pharmacy chain Walgreens on their new Well Beyond HIV campaign, which highlights “people aging well beyond their HIV diagnosis” …
Show Some Skin for a Great Cause!
February 13th, 2014
The Graying of AIDS is excited to be working in collaboration with ACRIA on a new NYC-based HIV and aging awareness bus shelter campaign. While previous awareness campaigns have often used professional models or pictured individual older adults, …
The Word is Getting Out: People are Talking about Aging and HIV
December 3rd, 2013
The last few months have brought some exciting new developments that suggest a growing awareness of the challenges affecting older adults living with HIV/AIDS, and new efforts being made to address some of those challenges. In honor of this 25th annual World AIDS Day …
A Time of Dialog and Reflection in NYC
June 26th, 2013
This summer New York City is offering a variety of opportunities to gain perspective on the history of AIDS and learn more about where things stand today. In addition to exhibits at the La Mama Galleria (closing this weekend) and The New York Historical Society …
Searching for Older Adult Perspectives on World AIDS Day
December 6th, 2012
While the theme for World AIDS Day (December 1st) was “Getting to zero: zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS-related deaths,” it seems that many in the mainstream media are focusing on the idea of an “AIDS-free Generation.” …
Aging and HIV Media Highlights & Project Updates
September 28th, 2012
In the Global Village of the XIX International AIDS Conference – held in Washington, DC, from July 22-27, 2012 – The Graying of AIDS team worked with adults age 50+ living with HIV/AIDS from around the world to create A Graying Pandemic,…
It’s a Wrap!
July 31st, 2012
As Our Participatory Installation at AIDS2012 Closes, You Can Still Visit Our On-line Exhibition. Over the roughly five days that the Global Village at the XIX International AIDS Conference was open, The Graying of AIDS team worked with adults age 50+ from around the world …
The Graying of AIDS – Stories from an Aging Pandemic
July 20th, 2012
A Participatory Installation at the XIX International AIDS Conference
Washington, DC, July 22 – 27th…
Aging in America: The American Society on Aging’s Annual Conference
July 19th, 2012
From March 28th – April 1, over 3,000 attendees and presenters swarmed Washington DC’s Marriott Wardman Park and Omni Shoreham hotels for Aging in America, the 2012 annual conference of the American Society on Aging (ASA). …
Reel Aging: Films for the Generations
April 27th, 2012
A Residency on Aging, Documentaries, and Audience Engagement
In the 2+ years since The Graying of AIDS received support from the Open Society Foundations to create our multiplatform outreach and education campaign, we have met a remarkable array of people from across disciplines who are concerned …
March Madness
April 26th, 2012
March Was a Whirlwind: The Graying of AIDS on the Road. March was an inspiring, information-and-opportunity-packed month for The Graying of AIDS. First Naomi was invited to participate in a panel at Baltimore’sGraying of HIV: An Aging and Growing Population …
In Memoriam: Sue and Richard
February 27th, 2012
Since Katja first began her work on The Graying of AIDS in 2006, we have lost a number of the extraordinary people profiled in our project to a variety of AIDS- and/or aging-related illnesses. We are deeply saddened to report the recent passing of two more of our much-beloved participants: Sue Saunders (age 78) and Richard Kearns (age 60)….
“Graying” Receives Invaluable Boost from Two Amazing Independent Documentary Film Organizations
February 17th, 2012
It’s an exciting time for The Graying of AIDS, with two wonderful new developments in the evolution of our project involving two exemplary independent documentary film organizations: Working Films and Chicken & Egg Pictures….
Making a Media Noise on World AIDS Day
December 2nd, 2011
“People just don’t know. They think it’s gone. The only way it will ever go away is by educating, people speaking out, making it a media noise. And I think that’s the only cure.” –Anna Fowlkes, age 64, Baltimore, MD. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the AIDS epidemic, and yesterday was World AIDS Day…
International Transgender Day of Remembrance: Care Providers Have a Role to Play
November 21st, 2011
“Being transgendered is such a singular experience, how can you adequately explain it to someone who isn’t transgendered? There is no common frame of reference. I can go on and on talking about the years of wandering alone in the darkness, searching, lost and confused and the blissful sense of serenity and peace of mind that I feel at this instant.”
–Ashley, quoted from My Right Self…
Graying of AIDS installation and projection on Governors Island (pt. 2)
November 2nd, 2011
As we continue to think about creative new ways to introduce the issues raised in The Graying of AIDS to diverse audiences, we thought we’d reflect back on some of the highlights of our experience this September as participants in the Governors Island Art Fair….
New Video For National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day
September 20, 2011
In recognition of the fourth annual National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day on September 18th, The Graying of AIDS teamed up with the National Resource Center on LGBT Aging to highlight some of the extraordinary LGBT-identified older adults …
Visit The Graying of AIDS exhibit on Governors Island
September 9th, 2011
The Graying of AIDS is thrilled to present our work as part of the fourth annual Governors Island Art Fair, which opened Labor Day weekend and will continue every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday through September 25, 2011. The event is presented by 4heads, a New York-based arts group that transforms otherwise unused spaces…
Marking the 30th Anniversary of the AIDS Epidemic
June 8th, 2011
While HIV/AIDS in the US generally receives little media attention these days, there has been a recent surge in coverage in recognition of the 30th anniversary of the AIDS epidemic. On June 5, 1981, the CDC’s MMWR Weekly published a brief account of a cluster of rare infections among otherwise healthy young gay men; this publication is generally regarded as the first public recognition of what came to be known as HIV/AIDS….
The Graying of AIDS Project in the Media
A collection of media coverage featuring the Graying of AIDS project; for a news media round-up of current articles on
Support Our Project
At its core, The Graying of AIDS project is run by a two-person team, so we couldn’t have come this far without
Student Collaborators
The Graying of AIDS is committed to supporting early- and mid-career professionals as they expand their knowledge and professional skill
“Graying of HIV” Symposium in Baltimore, MD
April 12th, 2011
According to a June 2010 “Fact Sheet” by the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, 8% of all state residents living with HIV at the end of 2008 were aged 60 or older. Of the 2,586 new diagnoses in 2008, 6.7% were 60+, as compared to 2.8% back in 1985….
Seniors Not Accessing Critical Preventative Health Services
March 16th, 2011
A new report out of the US Department of Health and Human Services Office highlights how few seniors are currently accessing critical preventative health services, with minority seniors even less likely to receive these services. Findings indicate that if seniors received the 20 recommended prevention services (including potentially life-saving screenings and vaccinations), over two million people would have been alive during 2006, …
In the News: Canada Facing Similar Struggles, Even With Universal Access to Care
March 2nd, 2011
From thestar.com, the on-line face of The Toronto Star, comes word that many of the same challenges confronting long-term and nursing care providers in the U.S. are taxing providers further north, and many Canadians aging with the virus are struggling with the same pressures and fears facing their American peers, despite easier access to treatment under Canada’s health care system….
An Eloquent Argument For Coordinated Care
February 25th, 2011
Jane E. Brody’s piece for this week’s Health Section of The New York Times — “Tackling Care as Chronic Ailments Pile Up” – speaks directly to two of the central concerns of The Graying of AIDS: the need for better communication between patients and their doctors, and the need for coordinated care (including increased communication between care providers) to better address the many challenges confronting people living with multiple chronic conditions….
GMHC’s Sean Cahill on Aging with HIV
February 19th, 2011
GMHC’s Sean Cahill brought the aging of the HIV/AIDS epidemic to the attention of a much wider audience with his recent piece in the Huffington Post. In the piece, entitled “The Long and Winding Road: Growing Older with HIV,” Cahill — the organization’s Managing Director for Public Policy, Research, and Community Health — introduces the reader to three older Americans living with the virus and explores some of the larger issues …
Fiscal Year 2012 Budget Battle Begins
February 15th, 2011
ust in time for Valentine’s Day: the federal powers-that-be have started drawing their lines in the sand for fiscal year 2012, and HIV/AIDS advocates, researchers, and providers have reason to be hopeful, although House Republicans are likely to put up a fight. At a time when other key budgets are being slashed, many HIV/AIDS organizations are relieved to see the President’s continued commitment to The National HIV/AIDS Strategy …
HIV 50+ Activist Ed Shaw
January 28th, 2011
Congratulations to Graying of AIDS advisory panel member Ed Shaw, whose lengthy career as an HIV/AIDS educator and activist was recently highlighted in a piece for AARP Bulletin (photograph by our own Katja Heinemann).
The piece highlights Shaw’s journey living with the virus and situates it in the context of the overall aging of the epidemic. It also draws attention to his extensive work in the community, with a particular focus on his role as chair of New York Association on HIV Over Fifty, his intergenerational work, and his recent advocacy work on the state and national levels….
Bios – Participants
Carnetta Best Fort Lauderdale, Florida When Carnetta was interviewed in 2006, she was living in a transitional residence for
Standing up to Stigma
December 2nd, 2011
In honor of World AIDS Day (12/1/10), the website for the AARP Bulletin highlighted the story of Dr. Robert Franke and his family. The multimedia piece (created by Graying of AIDS Project Director Katja Heinemann) and accompanying article explore the challenges the family faced after Dr. Franke decided he was no longer able to care for himself, relocated to Little Rock …
Supporters
We are tremendously grateful to the following for their many forms of generous support. The extraordinary individuals who shared their
Team
The Graying of AIDS is an independent collaborative documentary project and educational campaign created by Katja Heinemann, a visual journalist,
White House Meeting on HIV & Aging
November 7th, 2010
The Graying of AIDS was honored to join a group of activists, providers, researchers, and government agency representatives for a meeting on HIV and aging convened by the White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP) on October 27, 2010….
Welcome
November 5th, 2010
In our work to promote sensitivity, dialog and collaboration around the day-to-day realities of older adults aging with HIV, The Graying of AIDS aims to situate personal audio/visual portraits within the larger context of HIV/AIDS in this country. …
Advisory Panel
Heather Altman, MPH (Chapel Hill, NC) has been working with Carol Woods Retirement Community since 2003, and is currently the
Why This Project / Why Now
October 26th, 2010 Black or white, gay or straight, the face that most Americans imagine when they think about HIV/AIDS