Understanding low-income, minority older adult self-perceptions of HIV risk.

The number of people ages 50 or older living with HIV in the United States is increasing. Yet, few older adults see themselves at risk of infection. This study examines the heuristic reasoning that low income, minority adults, ages 50 or older use in calculating the likelihood of infection.

Looming threats to the intimate bond in hospice care? Economic and organizational pressures in the case study of a hospice.

Hospice organizations are assailed by stiff competition, ever-rising costs, limited funding, and policy changes. Do such pressures stifle the high quality of care these organizations strive to provide? As a case-in-point, we draw from the mid-1990s accounts of caregivers at a nonprofit hospice in a Midwestern city in the United States. We maintain that economic pressures drive organizational restructuring, which then weakens working conditions and, thereby, weakens the staff-client relationship.

Homophobia, hypermasculinity and the US black church.

Black churches in the USA constitute a significant source of the homophobia that pervades black communities. This theologically-driven homophobia is reinforced by the anti-homosexual rhetoric of black nationalism. Drawing on a variety of sources, this paper discusses the sources of homophobia within black communities, and its impact upon self-esteem, social relationships and physical health.

Perception of HIV/AIDS risk among urban, low-income senior-housing residents.

Despite the rising number of cases of HIV in adults over age 50, older persons rarely are considered to be at risk for HIV/AIDS, and even though they may be involved in risky behavior, such as unprotected penetrative sex, they may not consider themselves vulnerable to becoming infected. Informed awareness of risk is essential to making positive decisions about adopting preventive measures. We examined demographic, sociobehavioral, and contextual factors that predict urban, low-income older adults' perception of HIV/AIDS risk.