Introduction: Older persons with HIV may be reluctant to access continuing care (from home care to long-term care) due to concerns of stigma and discrimination. The aim of this study was to explore the perspectives of older persons with HIV towards continuing care. Methods: This was a cross-sectional, observational study. Participants were recruited from the Southern Alberta HIV Clinic to complete an online survey in 2023. We compared participants’ perspectives on continuing care by age (50–59 years and ≥60 years) and gender (women and men). Results: The survey response rate was 68.4% (316 respondents/462 invited to participate). The mean age of the 316 participants was 61 years (±8) and 264 (83.5%) were men. Participants 50–59 years were more likely to express language/culture barriers to receiving continuing care (39% versus 27%, p = 0.02). Women were more likely to have a past negative experience (14% versus 4%, p = 0.004), greater concern with: staff knowledge of caring for HIV (27% versus 14%, p = 0.06), their medical information being kept confidential (37% versus 24%, p = 0.06), and other residents finding out about their HIV diagnosis (49% versus 25%, p = 0.002). Women were more likely to prioritize who their new doctor would be (47% versus 31%, p = 0.02), whether they could visit friends/family (69% versus 49%, p = 0.007), and having a private room (80% versus 63%, p = 0.02), if they were to move into a congregate living environment. Discussion: This study provides health care providers of older persons with HIV with knowledge of patients’ perspectives towards continuing care. This will enable more patient-centric care and greater compassion when approaching these important discussions.
McMillan et al. (Sun,) studied this question.