Living with HIV over the long-term: Developing research to address the needs, challenges and priorities of people living long-term with HIV

Thank you all immensely for your interest and participation in the living with HIV over the long-term research project!

Where we are at now:

    · We have completed four focus groups with community members who identified as long-term survivors. One focus group was a smaller session with youth living long-term with HIV.
    · Currently we are reviewing the interview transcripts with our research team and community advisory committee. By October we will have completed interviews with key stakeholders who are staff at AIDS Service Organizations (ASOs), Hospitals and other medical or community health institutions who serve long-term survivors. Like the focus groups, the transcripts from these interviews will be reviewed with our research team and community advisory committee.
    · A final report of the study findings will be developed and shared with participants, ASOs and health care institutions, and the community in Spring 2012.

If you have any suggestions on how we should communicate our results back to the community please let me know your ideas. Also please send me your email address or your mailing address if you wish to receive any more information about the research project.

Many participants in the focus groups wanted to hear more about some of ACT’s programs and services that may be of interest to long-term survivors.

Here’s a list you may find helpful:

Long-term Survivors groups - 10 weeks (October - December 2011) or on-going (Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday evenings)
The Long-term Survivors' groups provide an opportunity for people who have been living with HIV for many years to find peer support and discuss new developments in their lives. Participants in these groups offer new perspectives and support to one another on issues of aging, health, finances, loneliness & isolation, coping strategies, and more.

To register, or for more information on groups, please call Kate Murzin, Group Programs Coordinator, at 416-340-8484 x 283 or e-mail kmurzin@actoronto.org

Buddy Program: Feeling isolated? ACT can provide you with a buddy - a trained volunteer who can provide confidential friendly support. To find out more, call 416-340-8484 ext. 219.

Case Management: Case managers are available for people living with HIV who have complex or multiple unmet needs. We can provide you with help navigating the health and social service system. Case managers work together with you to set short and long-term goals. To contact a case manager call 416-340-2437 and ask to book an appointment.

Counselling Services: ACT provides free, confidential counselling to anyone who is living with HIV. Counsellors will meet with you at ACT offices, over the phone, or in other locations, such as coffee shops. There is no need to give a real name if anonymity or confidentiality is a concern. Couples counselling, grief/bereavement counselling, and counselling for a partner of someone with HIV, are all available. To book an appointment with a counsellor call 416-340-2437 or drop by our offices.

Employment ACTion: This free, confidential service is open to all people living with HIV. The program provides information, tools and support needed when exploring, seeking and securing (re)employment. Employment services include: benefits consulting; employment planning; career exploration; skills, interest and abilities assessments; job trials; employment skills development; job placement; and employment support resources. Call 416-623-1782 for more information or visit or visit website www.employmentaction.org

Women’s Community Kitchen: This program is for African and Caribbean women living with HIV. It’s a place to share food (food is provided), stories, and learn from each other. This is a joint project with Black CAP and Africans in Partnership Against AIDS. Contact ACT at 416-340-8484 ext. 239 or Black CAP at 416-977-7725 ext. 23, for details, dietary requests, and/or registration. Child care subsidies and public transit fare can be provided.

Women’s Coffee Night: A monthly informal social support network for HIV-positive women that offers the opportunity to connect with each other and learn from each other's experiences. Held on the 3rd Wednesday of every month. For more information or to register, contact 416-340-8484 ext. 239. Child care subsidies and public transit fare can be provided.

If you have any other questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me Jason Oliver directly, e-mail: joliver@actoronto.org, Tel: 416-340-8484 ext. 303