The Experience of Growing Old While Living With HIV in Spain: A Phenomenological Study

HIV infection has transformed from a deadly disease into a chronic infection with low mortality. Using descriptive phenomenology, this study was designed to describe the lived experience of aging among persons living with HIV in Spain. Twenty-four participants ages 50 years or older were interviewed. Data were analyzed using Colaizzi's method. Aging with HIV made participants aware of the process of growing old, a stage of life they never expected to reach. They acknowledged the physical changes their bodies were undergoing, mostly due to the HIV and as a consequence of antiretroviral therapy. Most participants had financial problems and felt lonely. The participants highlighted how others had positively and negatively influenced their lives and, finally, how they learned to cope and then to accept living with HIV infection, be ready to help peers, and fight against discrimination. More research is needed to reduce loneliness, evaluate the impact of financial problems on health, and identify barriers and facilitators for adaptation, coping, and resilience in persons living with HIV ages 50 years or older.