Posts related to Diverse Elders Stories Initiative

Telling Our Stories for World AIDS Day 2016

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wad2016_cropEach year on December 1st, we join millions of individuals and organizations around the globe in commemorating World AIDS Day. The prevention of HIV/AIDS – as well as the continued care of those living with HIV – has always been a top priority for the Diverse Elders Coalition and the communities we represent.

In 2014, we released our policy brief, “Eight Policy Recommendations for Improving the Health and Wellness of Older Adults with HIV,” recommendations for which we continue to fight and advocate today. In 2015, we created an infographic, Facts and Factors: HIV and Diverse.... Read More

             

How Digital Storytelling Can Help You Advocate for Your Work

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The National Indian Council on Aging (NICOA) recently worked with the native group nDigiDreams to gather elders to tell their stories about their lives and how their experiences were impacted by federal programs such as the Older Americans Act, Social Security, healthcare and the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP).

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Digital storytelling offers unique differences from other approaches which is why we thought it would be a good fit for our Native elders. The video production team, Brenda Manuelito and Carmella Rodriguez, are Native women who have created over 1500 digital stories across the country. Their.... Read More

             

Ringing in a New Year at the Diverse Elders Coalition

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As we flip our calendars from 2015 to 2016 (assuming you still actually use a paper calendar, that is), I find myself really excited about the initiatives that the Diverse Elders Coalition will be working on in the coming year. This promises to be a milestone year for our elders and their communities, with a presidential election in the balance and the continued “graying” and “browning” of America as our population grows older and more ethnically and racially diverse.

Here are just a few of the things I’m looking forward to in 2016:

ACA Enrollment: January 31st is the last day on which Americans can enroll in health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. (Note that members of federally-recognized American.... Read More
             

December 7: A Day that will Live in Many Infamies

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As someone with very personal connections to both military servicemembers and the Japanese American community, I hold today, December 7, with a complex set of meanings and experience the gamut of emotions. “I’m feeling all the feels” as they might say these days. The anniversary of the attack of the Japanese Imperial Army on Pearl Harbor in Hawai’i on December 7 is marked with a solemn gravity and has particular resonance for the U.S. Armed Forces that remembers its fallen dead. Unfortunately, the day has another more tragic resonance for another community.

For Japanese Americans, who fell victim to the displaced rage of an American populace reeling from a military attack, President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s reference to “a day.... Read More

             

World AIDS Day 2015

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On December 1st, individuals and organizations around the world commemorate World AIDS Day, an acknowledgement of how far we’ve come in fighting this disease and how much work is still to be done to erase stigma, find a cure, and support survivors. The Diverse Elders Coalition has worked since our inauguration in 2010 to lift up the stories of diverse elders with HIV and to raise awareness about the ways in which our communities are disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS.

cupcakesThis year was an important one for the prevention of HIV: in July, the White House released the National HIV/AIDS Strategy: Updated to 2020 (PDF) that calls for a more coordinated.... Read More

             

Live Well and Love Well: Clara’s Story

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On May 7, the Diverse Elders Coalition, our member organizations, and our key partners had a very important opportunity to share the stories of our constituents with Nora Super, the Executive Director of the White House Conference on Aging. With discussions happening in English, Spanish, Khmer, and Tagalog, and a packed house at the Pilipino Workers Center of Southern California, we were able to provide Ms. Super and her team with a deeper sense of the challenges our communities face, their resilience and strategies for survival, and ultimately, their hope.

We’ve talked about this Town Hall in previous blog posts, but coming back to Los Angeles where I lived for two years gave me.... Read More

             

Stories of Older Adults with HIV/AIDS

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large_aids_day_GenLogo_RGB300-150x150This piece originally appeared on the NHCOA blog.

HIV can infect anyone, at any age, if given the chance. However, it does disproportionately impact certain populations. HIV/AIDS is a serious health concern for older adults; today adults 50 years of age and older account for 32.7% of HIV diagnoses in the U.S. Furthermore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that this number will increase to 50% by 2015. The numbers don’t lie: HIV can, and often disproportionately, affects older adults, parents and grandparents.

Contrary to popular myths and stereotypes, some seniors engage in behaviors that put them at.... Read More

             

Family Life and Policy Advocacy: Jon’s Story

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A reality of the work we do in the non-profit sector, when so many of the issues we address affect people’s lives directly and what motivates us to “keep on keepin’ on” is their impact on us and our communities, is that it becomes a labor of love. The lives that we document in our Diverse Elders Story Initiative put human faces to the policy issues we work on and reveal the impact of these issues often more powerfully than any statistical research report. The stories we tell speak best to that impact when they speak to the heart.

Jon Melegrito’s story in our Diverse Elders Story Initiative is both medium and message. By talking about.... Read More

             

The Road is Made by Walking: Tomi’s Story

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In the summer of 2010, I had just been through a nasty breakup and could no longer afford my once-shared apartment in Manhattan. I was working from home at the time, so it was easy for me to sublet the place and find new digs, but I also needed to get some fresh air and clear my cloudy head. Traveling seemed like the way to go, and with friends spread out around the country, I felt confident that I could find a place to stay wherever I landed. So I purchased an unlimited rail pass on the Amtrak, sent my cats to live with a friend (I still don’t think they’ve forgiven me for that) and bounced between the east and west coasts for.... Read More

             

“I am a 60-year-old Trans Woman living with HIV:” Helena’s Story

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As we enter the last days of Pride Month, I’m hopeful that the momentum from the US Supreme Court’s decision legalizing gay marriage in all 50 states will carry us through the rest of the year. Even after the rainbow flags have been put away and the glitter has been swept from the streets, it is crucial that we continue to fight for the rights of the LGBTQ community, in particular our vulnerable LGBTQ elders.

All too often, elders are left out of the conversation around HIV and STDs — we rarely see our elders targeted by HIV prevention and treatment campaigns. But older adults are still at risk for infections and should still be getting tested..... Read More

             
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