Aging and thriving with HIV: a photovoice project with long-term HIV survivors in Miami, Florida

ABSTRACT

Background

Long-term survivors of HIV in Miami, Florida are facing critical health and social issues as they age with this disease.

Methods

Using PhotoVoice methodology, nine Latino/a activist-artists were recruited to take pictures depicting their everyday life-challenges to be used in several photography exhibits aimed at informing local policy direction.

Results

The group identified a positive approach to aging with HIV as a priority at the individual, community and policy level, emphasizing policy alternatives to the negative and disease-ridden stereotypes that embed current discussions on living and aging with HIV. The activists highlight specific community and policy solutions that respond to the growing needs of long-term survivors of HIV/AIDS among Latino communities in South Florida.

Conclusions

The findings suggest that Miami (and areas with a large HIV-positive population) may benefit from community and policy solutions that take a successful aging approach and build upon the resiliency of this population.

KEYWORDS:

• Digital Media
• photo Voice
• successful Aging
• HIV
• miami

Acknowledgments

The authors with to thank the activist-artists for their dedication and inspiration. We thank the staff of Pridelines, Inc., for their support through all phases. We thank the Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center (LACC) at Florida International University for financial support.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. While there might be some conflation with using the term activist-artists to describe PhotoVoice participants who are not professional photographers, this title is consistent with the PhotoVoice methodology that seeks to encourage participants down their own path of social activism and artistic expression (see Padilla et al., 2019).

2. Martin (2009) notes that most photographs used in Phototherapy are not made public due to the nature of the therapeutic process. A notable exception is Jo Spence’s work on health and illness (see Spence, 1986) which was published and exhibited to challenge traditional modes of therapy and medical treatment and therefore, can be considered social and political activism.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center (LACC) at Florida International University.