Breaking Down Barriers "I Think I'm Losing My Mind": Working with People Affected by HIV and Cognitive Impairment and/or Mental Illness

AIDS Dementia and HIV Psychiatric Services (ADAHPT)

Three people talked about their very personal experiences with AIDS Dementia Complex (ADC): Robert, who has been through ADC, Angela, the partner of a person who had ADC and subsequently died, and Alison, a Clinical Nurse Consultant from rural NSW. These stories are too personal, too touching and too complex to be related by a third person. Only the people themselves can tell them.

However, the session has been taped and will be available from:

Geoff Cole, Team Leader,
AIDS Dementia and HIV Psychiatric Services (ADAHPT),
301 Forbes Street, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010.
Email: adahpt@sesahs.nsw.gov.au

The video will be free to PLWHAs. Suffice it to say that during their presentations the audience was numbed into silence. The length and volume of the applause was testament to the impact these stories had on us. Many of our Asian friends found similarities between these accounts and experiences in their own countries. Cognitive disorders themselves are stigmatised. ADC is a double whammy. As Angela said, she'd prefer to be accepted by the HIV community before the community at large.