When
Each session will run from 12p.m. – 1p.m. EST on the following dates
Thursday, May 21
Thursday, May 28
Thursday, June 4
Thursday, June 11
Thursday, June 18
Registration
Note: Upon registration, please select the sessions you would like to attend.
Description
People living with HIV are ageing in greater numbers, bringing new opportunities and challenges for providers across health and community sectors. Ageing with HIV can involve complex and overlapping experiences related to physical health, cognition, medication management, service access, and social support.
This learning series examines important issues in HIV and ageing, including frailty, falls, polypharmacy, fear of cognitive decline, and the role of virtual care. Through practical, real-world discussions, participants will gain tools to better support older adults living with HIV through compassionate, coordinated, and person-centred approaches to care.
Audience:
This is a virtual session open to frontline staff from AIDS Service Organizations, Harm Reduction programs, Shelters, Newcomer organizations, Nurses and other health care providers along with anyone in Ontario interested in the topics.
Recordings
Topics include:
| Date & Topic | Description | Speaker(s) |
| Thursday, May 21 Geriatrics & HIV: Frailty, falls, congnition, functional decline | As people living with HIV age, geriatric syndromes such as frailty, falls, cognitive change, and functional decline may emerge in ways that are shaped by chronic illness, pain, polypharmacy, and social context. This session explores how these issues present in adults ageing with HIV and when providers should suspect underlying geriatric syndromes. By the end of this session, participants will be able to: 1. Recognize clinical and functional cues suggestive of geriatric syndromes (frailty, falls risk, cognitive change, and functional decline) in adults ageing with HIV. 2. Differentiate common contributors to mobility and cognition changes in this population, including chronic pain, polypharmacy, sensory changes, and multi-morbid conditions. 3. Describe relevant Ontario referral pathways and interprofessional supports, including when to engage geriatric assessment services, memory clinics, rehab therapists, and community supports. 4. Apply practical assessment approaches that non-medical providers can use to open conversations about function, safety, and goals of care. 5. Outline elements of “good” collaborative care, including shared planning between geriatric medicine, rehab disciplines, and community/housing services to support functional independence. | Dr. Luxey Sirisegaram – Mount Sinai Hospital Carolann Murray – Casey House |
| Thursday, May 28 Complex comorbidities and polypharmacy for non-prescribers | As people living with HIV age, many manage multiple chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, kidney or liver disease, and frailty, often alongside complex medication regimens. This session is designed for non-prescribers and focuses on understanding polypharmacy from a practical, safety-oriented perspective. By the end of this session, participants will be able to: 1. Describe common age-related comorbidities affecting people living with HIV and how these can influence medication use and safety. 2. Recognize polypharmacy-related risk factors and warning signs, including drug–drug and drug–condition interactions relevant to cardiovascular, renal, hepatic, and metabolic health. 1. 3. Explain how ageing can change medication effects, including increased sensitivity, side effects, and cumulative burden. 4. Identify practical “red flags” that warrant follow-up with prescribers, pharmacists, or care teams. | Linda Robinson – CHAP, Ontario HIV Specialty Pharmacy Group |
| Thursday, June 4 HIV and Aging: Fear of Cognitive Decline | Fear of cognitive decline is common among people ageing with HIV and can shape how individuals interpret symptoms, engage with care, and respond to assessment or diagnosis. This session explores how concerns about memory loss, stroke, and the long-term effects of HIV and HIV medications can lead to avoidance, delayed assessment, or distress. The focus is on what service providers may notice first — changes in behaviour, communication, mood, or daily functioning — and how to respond in ways that are supportive, non-alarmist, and trauma-informed. The session will centre lived experience alongside practice perspectives, highlighting how cognitive concerns show up in real life and how fear and stigma can complicate conversations about assessment and care. By the end of this session, participants will be able to: 1. Describe common fears related to cognitive decline among people ageing with HIV, including concerns about dementia, stroke, and long-term medication effects. 2. Recognize early behavioural or functional changes that service providers may observe in community, housing, or care settings. 3. Differentiate between fear-driven avoidance and cognitive change, and understand how stigma and past experiences with healthcare influence help-seeking. 4. Use supportive, non-diagnostic language to raise concerns, reduce anxiety, and encourage appropriate follow-up. Identify when and how to escalate concerns through appropriate referral pathways while maintaining trust and client autonomy. | Dr. Rachel Landy –Assistant Professor, Dalhousie University Peer Researcher |
| Thursday, June 11 When Virtual Care Works—and When It Doesn’t: Ageing, HIV, Cognition and Care Acccess | Research with older adults living with HIV in Ontario shows that virtual care can be both acceptable and effective when it supports trust, privacy, and relationship-based care. This session brings these insights together to explore when virtual care improves access and when it may unintentionally increase burden. Drawing on lived experience and community-engaged research, the session focuses on system design and practical supports that enable equitable virtual care for people ageing with HIV across community health and social service settings. By the end of this session, participants will be able to: 1. Describe factors that support successful uptake of virtual care among older adults, drawing on Ontario-based research with seniors. 2. Explain how cognitive concerns, chronic pain, and uncertainty can shape virtual care experiences for people ageing 3. with HIV, based on peer-led research findings. 3. Identify points where virtual care models may unintentionally increase cognitive load or access barriers, even when users are generally receptive to digital care. 4. Differentiate between user-related challenges and system design factors that influence whether virtual care improves or undermines access. 5. Apply practical strategies to support equitable virtual care access within community health, housing, and social service settings, without assuming technology avoidance or deficit. | Andrew Eaton – Associate Professor, University of Illinois Chicago Dean Valentine – Researcher |
| Thursday, June 18 Planning Ahead: Legal and Practical Considerations for Ageing with HIV | As people living with HIV age, legal and systems-related issues can have a significant impact on health, stability, autonomy, and quality of life. This practical session will explore key legal considerations related to income supports, healthcare access, housing, and future planning for older adults living with HIV. Delivered through a legal lens, the session will provide participants with practical information to help support informed decision-making, access to services, and planning for future care and life transitions. By the end of this session, participants will be able to: 1. Describe legal and practical considerations related to transitions in income support and benefits programs for older adults living with HIV. 2. Identify common barriers and pathways related to accessing healthcare, housing supports, and rent-geared-to-income housing. 3. Recognize the role of legal planning documents, including powers of attorney and advance care planning tools. 4. Apply a rights-based and practical lens to supporting older adults living with HIV in navigating complex systems and future planning. | Talia Wolfe – HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic of Ontario (HALCO) |
