'You Have to Withstand That Because You Have Come for What You Have Come for': Barriers and facilitators to antiretroviral treatment access among older South Africans living with HIV.

Abstract

Nationwide rollout of antiretroviral treatment (ART) is increasing the number of older persons living with HIV (OPLWH) in South Africa. Yet, little is known about how the sociological aspects of ageing - stigma, finances and family dynamics - impact access to ART. Qualitative interviews with 23 persons aged 50-plus living near Cape Town highlight the barriers and facilitators to the acceptability, affordability and availability of ART access among OPLWH. Key age-related barriers included perceived shame of sexuality and disclosing HIV status to others, perceived disrespect by clinical staff, affording transportation to clinics and pre-existing co-morbidities. Key age-related facilitators included family moral and financial support, particularly from children and grandchildren, and access to social grants. Importantly, many barriers and facilitators had feedback loops, for example social grants reduced transportation barriers to clinics when ageing and poor health limited mobility. As the population living with HIV ages, it is critical to assess the ways ageing, as a social process, impacts ART access and to address these to improve older persons' HIV care.