Synopses & Reviews
With improvements in the treatment of HIV disease, gay men in great numbers are surviving--and thriving--into middle and older age. While increased longevity brings new hope, it also raises unanticipated challenges, particularly for gay men who never thought they would live this long: How do I deal with all the physical changes? Who can I rely on as I get older? Is a relationship still in the cards for me? What about sex? How should I prepare for old age?
A one-of-a-kind guide for gay men aging with HIV, Aging with HIV offers an upbeat, down-to-earth approach for adapting to change, whether driven by age, AIDS, or both. Psychotherapist James Masten and physician James Schmidtberger shed light on the many common assumptions and fears of aging with HIV. Aging with HIV provides concrete solutions for facing midlife with a positive outlook, offering a wealth of advice for breaking unhealthy habits and coping mechanisms. The book describes the nine changes common to gay men as they age with HIV, discusses the four challenges of aging, and offers a unique ten-step path to optimal aging with HIV, helping the reader to tailor the book's suggestions to the realities of their lives. Woven throughout the book are first-person narratives from men who recount what worked--and did not work--for them. In addition, Rapid Research, Fast Fact, and Self-Reflection boxes highlight the latest research and challenge readers to take stock of the present--and plan for the future.
An invaluable tool to keep handy and to refer to often, Aging with HIV is an inviting, confident companion to navigating midlife and beyond with HIV.
Review
"At last, the book we've been waiting for...Aging with HIV is about so much more than just lessons of pluck and endurance. Like our survivors' lives, the ultimate story and its final conclusions are greater than the sum of its parts." - Lambda Literary
"This comprehensive, evidence-based book is an excellent resource for men with HIV who want to maintain optimum health through midlife and into their senior years. The authors identify the changes and obstacles likely to be encountered and give specific strategies for dealing with them. I recommend it." --Andrew Weil, M.D.
"This unique and valuable contribution to the field neatly bridges research and relevant practice while covering topics not well addressed in either the popular or academic literatures. The grounding of this book in the interviews and shared experiences of men living with HIV, enriched by the clinical experience of the author, prompts readers to reflect on their own lives and experiences, and enlivens the words on the page."
-Brian de Vries, Ph.D., Professor of Gerontology, San Francisco State University
"Dr. Masten creatively combines findings from his own qualitative research with his experience as a psychotherapist. He skillfully melds the knowledge from these two words into a practical and useful resource for older gay men living with HIV/AIDS. Anyone aging with HIV can benefit from participating in the step-by-step journey this book takes one through. Bravo!" --Charles Emlet, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Social Work, University of Washington
"Masten and Schmidtberger provide a superb guide book for those confronting issues of aging with HIV. An easy to read text with chapters devoted to charting the course of the HIV in aging, steps for wellness and general health information presented as research briefs, fast facts with poignant narratives from gay men living and aging with this stigmatizing chronic illness. As such it is an excellent read for consumers, educators and health care professionals in HIV and in aging." --Martha A. Gabriel, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Social Work, New York University
"As a psychotherapist working in the LGBT community for over 20 years, I am very excited by this new book. It offers a pragmatic how-to for older gay men that guides them as they negotiate uncharted territory, and it is written with an understanding and concern for the issues they struggle with and the uniqueness of their position in society." --Arlene Kochman, LCSW, former Executive Director, SAGE, Inc.
"Aging with HIV shines the light on a critical subject that has increased in importance over the last decade: the array of issues facing the first generation of people to live and age with HIV. By drawing on the expertise of gay men aging with HIV, Masten and Schmidtberger have produced a practical, step-by-step resource that's authentically rooted in personal experience and useful to readers of all types." --Michael Adams, Executive Director, SAGE, Inc.
About the Author
James Masten, Ph.D., LCSW, has worked in the field of HIV/AIDS for over twenty years. He is on the Adjunct Clinical Faculty at New York University School of Social Work, and has been a clinical research consultant for Yale University School of Medicine, Duke University, and the Medical College of Wisconsin. Dr. Masten has a private practice in psychotherapy in New York City.
James Schmidtberger, M.D., is Director of HIV Services at Gouverneur Healthcare Services in New York City and an Instructor at New York University School of Medicine.
Table of Contents
Section I Aging Means ChangingIntroduction
Chapter 1. "I'm Still Here"
Chapter 2. Physical Changes: AIDS or Age?
Chapter 3. Who Do You Consider a Friend Nowadays?
Chapter 4. Being Gay at Mid Life
Chapter 5. Let's Talk About Sex
Chapter 6. Love and Marriage
Chapter 7. In the Family
Chapter 8. What About Work?
Chapter 9. How You've Grown
Summary
Section II Getting Stuck
Introduction
Chapter 10. Learning from the Past or Living in the Past?
Chapter 11. Living within Limitations or Letting your World Shrink?
Chapter 12. Accepting Yourself or Getting Stuck in Your Ways?
Chapter 13. Living One Day at a Time or Relinquishing a Plan for the Future?
Summary
Section III 10 Steps to Optimal Aging with HIV
Introduction
Step 1. Care for Your Physical Health
Step 2. Rebuild Your Social Networks
Step 3. Be Generative
Step 4. Fight the Triple Threat: AIDS Stigma, Homophobia, and Ageism
Step 5. Let Yourself Grieve
Step 6. Check Your Baggage
Step 7. Develop Effective Coping Strategies
Step 8. Renew Your Spirituality
Step 9. Plan for the Future
Step 10. Play
About the Study