Ami R Moore
Assistant Professor,
University of North Texas
Related Interests
Impacts of HIV/AIDS on older persons
Related Projects
Dying Children with AIDS and Malaria: the impacts on older parents
This project is a comparative study of the impact of losing a child to AIDS and malaria among older people in Togo. Since AIDS is a stigmatized illness, we hypothesize that older people who lose a child to AIDS lack needed social support because they conceal the cause of death of their child to others. This may compound the pain and suffering that they experience. Also, their bereavement process may be more difficult compared to their counterparts who lose a child to malaria.
Older informal caregivers to people with HIV/AIDS in Lomé, Togo
This study examines the experiences of older caregivers to people living with HIV/ AIDS in Lomé, Togo. The authors used a mixed qualitative-quantitative design to identify several challenges faced by the elderly caregivers. They were ill prepared for the caregiving demands and overburdened by enormous financial needs of people with HIV/AIDS, having been unexpectedly thrust into the role. They felt frustration, despair, and isolation because HIV/AIDS has changed the family structures and social expectations. Also, most of them reported how caring for someone with HIV/ AIDS had depleted their resources. Although they did not complain about caring for a person with HIV/AIDS, almost all wished for an institutional solution to relieve them of the burden of providing care. To alleviate the struggles of older caregivers to people with HIV/AIDS policymakers and HIV/AIDS programs need to incorpo¬rate caregivers into their policies and services.
Related Publications
Moore AR, and Henry D. 2005. "Experiences of Older Informal Caregivers to People Living with HIV/AIDS in Lome, Togo." Ageing International 30(2):147-166.