There has been a dramatic increase in the number of new HIV diagnoses among people aged 50 to 64 in the United States, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in just 7 years (by 2015) 50% of those living with AIDS will be aged 50 or older. To address this public health concern, viable HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment options for individuals over the age of 50 are necessary. This article discusses the No One Is Immune initiative that planned, implemented, and coordinated evidence- based HIV/AIDS prevention and education programs specifically tailored for middle-aged and older adults. Guided by the health belief model, an educational conference entitled “Sexuality, Medication, and HIV/AIDS in Middle and Later Adulthood” was conducted along with research activities that assessed HIV/AIDS knowledge gained using both qualitative and quantitative measures. This project can be replicated by other providers within the aging network.

Although much progress has been made in our understanding of the nature of social support, the majority of this research has involved older women and has been studied cross-sectionally. The present study comes from a lifespan developmental perspective on stability and change over time that examines sex differences in the social support networks of widows (170) and widowers (25) that are compared across 12 months post-bereavement. Most levels of positive support increased from B to W1 in what appears to be a response to spousal bereavement. Sex differences generally demonstrate that widowers receive less support using various measures and across different times of measurement. These findings point to change over time, sex differences, and heterogeneity as important issues when discussing bereavement and social support.

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