Author(s)

Yuan Fu

Corresponding Author

Yuan Fu

Abstract

With the acceleration of population aging and the continued risk of HIV transmission, the number of elderly AIDS patients increases year by year. Their physical and mental health and social adaptation problems are becoming more prominent. The elderly group has both age and disease disadvantages. They face unique social and psychological challenges. It is urgent to pay attention to the inner connection between social support and disease shame and to explore effective intervention strategies. Based on defining the core concepts of elderly AIDS patients, social support, and disease shame, this paper combines social support theory and disease shame theory to systematically analyze the current situation of social support and disease shame among elderly AIDS patients. It also discusses the interaction between the two. The study finds that the level of social support has a significant negative impact on disease shame. Emotional support, informational support, and instrumental support are key elements that help relieve disease shame. At the same time, disease shame weakens patients’ social support systems, leading to self-isolation, reduced willingness to seek support, and insufficient use of available support. In terms of intervention effect evaluation, the study analyzes at three levels: individual, family and social support system, and medical and social environment. It finds that cognitive behavioral intervention, psychological support, family care guidance, peer group building, elderly-friendly medical services, and public awareness education can effectively improve the level of social support and reduce disease shame. The conclusion emphasizes that it is necessary to build a multidimensional and systematic intervention system. It should integrate individual, family, social, and medical resources to improve the quality of life of elderly AIDS patients and promote their social integration.

Keywords

Elderly AIDS Patients; Social Support; Disease Shame