21st Century HIV Support Needs
posted: 28/05/2009
HIV policy expert Chris Morley investigates what support people living with HIV need, as revealed in Sigma Research’s latest report What do you need?
Some things have changed, but in most areas of life similar proportions of people living with HIV have similar needs for support to 7 or 8 years ago, when the first What do you need survey was done.
About 2000 people completed an online and booklet survey, with 10% living in Northwest England, roughly the same as the region's share of people living with HIV nationally. We appreciate the help of all who completed the survey at our website or by booklet.
The survey looked at HIV medical, social care, support and information needs. It asked about 20 issues - from sex to housing, immigration to discrimination, anxiety and depression to the world of work. It asked if people have problems in these areas. There may be no solution to some problems, but there are potentially dozens of ways to help.
Needs into Services
You cannot covert this study of complex and diverse HIV needs into a simple recipe for services. Commissioning of services by the NHS and councils have to deal with the complexities and interrelatedness of many needs. We see a picture of many people with complex interlocking needs.
These require many people and organisations to contribute to eliminating the problems, at source as far as possible, and by reducing the harm, or by untangling the net of problems around people.
We can also see that although most people have some problems with HIV each year, there are some who report no problems, and many who report that things have improved over the last year. HIV services can take much of the credit for this improvement, but people with HIV are resourceful in sorting out many problems, and have friends, partners and family, who provide valuable support and help in this.
However it is very clear that many people don't get all the help they need. While some people don't like to 'make a fuss,' or feel a failure if they ask for help, other people don't know where to go for help and solutions.
Often what people need is creativity and thinking outside the box. While we can't increase national benefit rates to end a money problem, we can provide emergency financial help, check if people are claiming all they are entitled to, offer support to help people back into paid work, supply information about claiming tax credits, and help people manage their income, bills and debts better.
Mental Ill-health Tops List
Anxiety and depression, self-esteem, sleep and sex are the areas of life that pose problems to the greatest number of people living with HIV in the UK.
The groups reporting the most problems were women, Africans, haemophiliacs, injecting drug users, and people with immigration problems. A quarter of all women surveyed reported having problems with between 13 and 19 of the 20 problems in the last year. 43% of people with immigration problems had 11 - 19 of the 20 problems. The average gay man had 7 of the 20 problems, and 12% reported 13 or more problems in the previous year.
Whoever it is, and whatever the problems, we need solutions tailored to suit the whole situation. Services often need to look for underlying problems (low self-esteem and depression) rather than reaching for a sticking plaster for the symptoms - a relationship in difficulties.
Sometimes the sticking point is not talking about the problem. For others it is hard to ask for help. There is no shame in either. HIV community services and clinics have seen every variety of problem and some support is always available, if not a complete solution.
Our services team are keen to offer whatever help we can support@ght.org.uk and please use our range of online services www.ght.org.uk
What do you need? 2007 - 2008 Sigma Research
Download the Summer 2009 issue of Insight - pdf file
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