From the Oven: A Referral Is Not a Strategy
My recent CANN piece continues the conversation about why people aging with HIV need systems prepared for longer lives.
FROM THE OVEN
Following ideas as they move into the world.
From the Oven shares updates on where AgingOven ideas are traveling through articles, presentations, partnerships, and conversations advancing how we think about aging and HIV.
One of the reasons I created AgingOven was to make space for conversations about aging and HIV that too often remain siloed, because people’s lives extend across the boundaries of the systems created to serve them.
One question I keep returning to:
What happens when people live long enough to outgrow the systems built to serve them?
Recently, CANN (Community Access National Network) invited me to expand on themes from my presentation, “Beyond Referrals: Building Organizational Capacity to Serve LGBTQIA+ Older Adults and People Aging with HIV.”
The result is a new piece exploring why connection alone is not enough.
For decades, HIV systems helped people live longer. Aging systems helped older adults maintain independence, connection, and dignity. But people aging with HIV increasingly reveal what happens when successful systems built for different purposes need to evolve.
A referral may open a door. But building capacity ensures people are welcomed once they walk through it.
Why this matters
The next chapter of HIV and aging work is not just about creating better pathways between organizations. It is about ensuring organizations are prepared for the people they already serve.
I’m grateful to CANN for helping bring this conversation to a broader audience.
Read the full CANN piece:
https://www.tiicann.org/blog/referral-not-a-strategy-aging-with-hiv