Aging and Informal Caregiving to People with HIV/AIDS

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Abstract
This article reviews the growing research dealing with informal caregivers to peoplewith HIV infection or AIDS, focusing particularly on the intersection of this workwith research on aging. It contrasts AIDS caregiving with what is known aboutcaregiving in general, which is often associated with caring for a frail older person.This comparison points to a scholarly literature in which aging, gender, generationaldifferences, and life-course issues have been a central concern. In addition, using datafrom the UCSF Care Study, this article presents some results from analyses concernedspecifically with the interpretation of age-related effects and caregiving. It emphasizesthe diversity among AIDS caregivers, who may be friends, partners, or familyrelatives, and the diversity of their experiences with caregiving, loss, and aging. Italso outlines important methodological and conceptual links between a life-courseperspective on aging and AIDS caregiving and suggests how each scholarly concernmay inform the other.