Promoting successful aging with HIV through hardiness: implications for nursing practice and research

A growing number of adults will age with HIV due to the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy, an increase in later-life infections, and an overall aging of the population. Unfortunately, how successful aging will be expressed in this population is unknown. In the gerontological literature, the concept of hardiness is used to describe and hypothesize how people can age successfully. Using the extant HIV literature, this article extrapolates how hardiness may help people age well with this disease. Because nurses provide care for older adults with HIV, possible interventions and clinical implications for incorporating hardiness into practice and research are suggested.