Personal Stories
Interviews and stories from people in the community, living with HIV and aged 50+
Bev – Positive Women Victoria co-founder
In this video, Bev Greet, co-founder of Positive Women Victoria, talks about what it means to be a women living with HIV. She gives us an insight into what it was like to be diagnosed with HIV in the early days of the epidemic when the vast majority of people with HIV were gay men. She also shares how she has managed her feelings around grief and loss of losing so many people to HIV over the years? Being a manageable chronic condition today, Bev gives us some tips on how she manages? Quitting smoking was an achievement for her too and she talks about how important it was to do for her health. She readily talks about what the best thing is about being an older person and how to make the best of the years to come.
Taking Charge – Max Part 1
Max shares what it was like to be diagnosed with HIV and not only had to deal with HIV for many years but cancer as well. He shares how his cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment of it impacted his life. On a brighter note, Max happily talks about what the best thing about being an older person is and how to make the best of the years to come.
Taking Charge – Max Part 2
In this video, Max talks about HIV related stigma. He explains how important it is to access stigma free healthcare. He gives us some examples of positive experiences and describes what made them positive and stigma free. He also gives any healthcare workers watching some strategies to challenge stigma when they see it.
Taking Charge – Adam
Adam Bratt has just hit 50 and was diagnosed with HIV relatively late compared to some of the other older people with HIV. He talks about his hopes, expectations and imagines the years ahead and what they will be like. He also talks about what HIV related stigma means to him and how important it is to access support and services. Healthcare that is free of stigma is vital for him and so he gives some examples of some strategies for health care workers in how to challenge stigma when they see it. Adam is looking forward to the years ahead and tells us how excited he is knowing that Living Positive Victoria has a program specifically for people aged 50 and up.
Taking Charge – Jeffrey
In this video, Jeffrey just like everyone else with HIV, hope and expects to be able to access healthcare that is safe and free of HIV related stigma. He shares his positive experiences and describes what made them positive. Being an optimist, he happily shares with us what he thinks is the best thing about being an older person and how to make the best of the years to come.
Taking Charge – Ian
Ian Hulett is a dad and a granddad. He reflects on how important family is to him and how it has shaped how he deals with his HIV. Much like everyone else with HIV, Ian hopes and expects to be able to access healthcare that is free of HIV related stigma. As an active person that loves fishing, scuba diving, socialising and more, Ian readily talks about what the best thing about being an older person is and how to make the best of the years to come. He not only talks about it but shows us how is doing it.
Taking Charge – Bruce
Bruce Macallister tells us what it was like for him to be diagnosed with HIV. Accessing healthcare that is free of HIV related is critical for him as it is for everyone else with HIV. He describes how it can be made to be that way. Bruce is a sociable person and recognises the importance of adding to his quality of life as he get’s older by connecting with his peers. As a result, he is a keen attendee of Living Positive Victoria’s Taking Charge project ‘Peer Support Network’s’ gatherings where he catches up with friends whether it be over a picnic, museum and art gallery visits or mini golf. He is also eager to tell us about the best thing in being an older person and has some great advice for other older people on how to make the best of their years to come.
Taking Charge – Ian and Bruce
Both Ian and Bruce have completed Living Positive Victoria’s Taking Charge project ‘Positive Self-management Program’. They talk about the immense value they got out of it and the many life skills they learnt such as problem solving, decision making, goal setting and much more in order to help them manage their HIV and to be able to look after themselves for as long as possible before needing aged care. So, would they recommend the program to others? Watch and find out.
Ageing Well with HIV – David Menadue
David is a member of the community and has been involved with Living Positive Victoria since 1988. Having been diagnosed in the early 80s, David speaks of his experience living with HIV and the strategies that he uses to age well with HIV.
Community Connection – Sam Cohen
Sam was a member of the community who had been involved with Living Positive Victoria for over 10 years.
Having faced multiple health and life challenges, Sam spoke to the importance of the positive community to find support, inspiration and a reason to keep on fighting.
Sam was a volunteer who contributed to Living Positive Victoria’s Taking Charge project for people with HIV aged 50 years and up. He was well known for his gentle and friendly manner. He was characterised by humility, grace and humour. He was always ready to provide his story in the hope to not only give insight into the lived experience of HIV with its many challenges but to inspire younger people with HIV with a message of resilience that one must never give up hope after an HIV diagnosis and to continue live life to the fullest.