Psychosocial Support for People Living with HIV/AIDS

1
Psychosocial Support for People Living with
HIV/AIDS

• OSI Network Public Health
• Palliative Care Initiative, Kiev
• 25-28 February 2004
• Virginia ODell
• WHO, Geneva

2
What is psychosocial support?

• Psychosocial support addresses the psychological
  and social problems of HIV infected individuals,
  their partners, families and caregivers

3
Why is psychosocial support important?

• Because HIV infection
• affects all dimensions of a persons life
• can result in stigma and fear
• can result in loss of socioeconomic status,
  employment, income, housing, etc.

4
Why is psychosocial support important?

• Because support
• helps to address the practical problems with
  which people are faced
• helps to address the stress of HIV infection and
  to prevent more serious mental health problems
• can help with adherence to treatment

5
Ensuring support is provided

• Develop guidelines and training for psychosocial
  care
• include in national guidelines for care
• incorporate in curriculum of all health
  professionals
• training courses for community volunteers
• develop strategies for specific groups

6
Ensuring support is provided

• Develop services for HIV infected people
• assess what is available
• enlist help from peer and community groups
• link existing and developing services
• build community capacity through training and
  financial support

7
Human resources needed

• Train existing health care workers
• Use both pre- and in-service training
• Train volunteers to augment health care personnel

8
Infrastructure and supplies needed

• Space for consultations (to ensure privacy)
• Medications (review essential drugs list)
• Review interactions between medications and
  antiretroviral therapy (when provided)

9
Cost of providing psychosocial support

• Little information available (cost limited if
  training provided as part of overall health
  worker education)
• perhaps we should rather ask the cost of not
  providing psychosocial support