Elderly Relatives of HIV/AIDS Victims Bear Brunt of Support

Her precarious financial situation, the difficulty of caring for a sick child and the anxiety over discrimination against her infected grandson depressed Chung.

She was also victim to the inadequacy of information about HIV prevention, forcing her to learn how to care for an AIDS victim through leaflets she inadvertently picked up o­n the street.

The stinging pinch of poverty left Chung no other alternative but to open a small tea shop to support her family and pay for her nine-year-old grandson to attend school.

Unfortunately, Chung is not alone in her plight.

According to Dinh Van Tu, Vice President of the Vietnam Association of the Elderly, about 70 per cent of people living with HIV are being cared for by parents or grandparents.

A survey released Tuesday by HelpAge International confirmed the prevalent role of older women as main caregivers for people living with HIV.

HelpAge International is a global network striving for the rights of disadvantaged older people to economic and physical security, health care and social services.

The survey says HIV and AIDS can devastate traditional support structures that sustain many families in Vietnam, reversing the trend of parents being looked after by their adult children as they become older.

Instead, older people, mainly women, are confronted with the burdensome task of caring for a sick adult, coping with their eventual death, and possibly looking after a surviving grandchild.

"In this era of HIV, elders’ traditional roles as leaders, mentors, role models and spiritual advisors have expanded to include the burden and the privilege of caretaking," said country director of UNAIDS Vietnam Eamonn Murphy.

He provided that more than 100 Vietnamese became infected with HIV every day. Illness, decreased productivity and increasing numbers of orphaned and neglected children were affecting approximately o­ne in 60 households.

The consequences of serving as caretakers are often severe, interconnected and enduring. Their economic status can be weakened, even destroyed, making it necessary for them to sell assets and borrow money. In addition, social interaction may decrease due to stigma and discrimination and the considerable amount of time spent caring can lead to feelings of isolation.