HIV and Aging: A Growing Population Faces Unique Challenges

Jeff Taylor, incoming Co-chair of the Community Advisory Board of the amfAR Institute for HIV Cure Research, has been living with HIV for 35 years. A longtime HIV research advocate and cancer survivor, he has served on many community advisory boards, including currently the National Cancer Institute’s AIDS Malignancy Consortium and the Collaboratory of AIDS Researchers for Eradication (CARE). He produces a monthly education series on HIV treatment issues for HIV patients and providers, serves on the regional Ryan White Planning Council, and is director of the HIV+Aging Research Project-Palm Springs to study aging in HIV.

In observance of National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day on September 18, amfAR spoke with Mr. Taylor about the constellation of issues that affect older Americans living with HIV.

amfAR: How did you become involved in community advocacy?

Jeff Taylor: I did it out of self interest. When I was infected in 1982 there was no reliable test and the diagnosis was considered a death sentence. So in 1988, when there was talk of AZT being a treatment, I got tested and was told I had two years to live and to start making arrangements. By that time my T-cell count was below 200.

The first thing I did was to buy a lifetime membership to a gym because I had watched people waste away as they died, looking like concentration camp victims. So I thought, “Whatever I can do to keep that from happening, I will.”

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During the Canada Post strike announced September 25, 2025, the following measures will be undertaken to minimize service disruption to BC-CfE clients and providers.

  • The BC-CfE Laboratory has transitioned to private courier for delivery of outgoing reports and documents. Results required urgently can be faxed upon request. (Lab Contact Information: Phone 604-806-8775; FAX 604-806-9463)
  • The BC-CfE Drug Treatment Program (DTP) will fax outgoing forms and documents to the provider’s office. (DTP Contact Information: Phone 604-806-8515; FAX 604-806-9044)
  • St. Paul’s Hospital Ambulatory Pharmacy has transitioned to private courier for delivery of medications. We recommend requesting medication at least 2 weeks in advance in case of delivery delays, particularly to rural/remote parts of BC. (Contact Information: Phone 1-800-547-3622; FAX 604-806-8675)

During the Canada Post strike, we recommend that documents be faxed or couriered to our sites, versus utilization of regular mail service

The BC-CfE Laboratory is streamlining reporting processes for certain tests in order to simplify distribution and record-keeping, and to ensure completeness of results. Beginning September 2, 2025, results for the ‘Resistance Analysis of HIV-1 Protease and Reverse Transcriptase’ (Protease-RT) and ‘HIV-1 Integrase Resistance Genotype’ tests will be combined into a single ‘HIV-1 Resistance Genotype Report’.
For more details and example reports, please click on the button below