At the recent National Ryan White Conference on HIV Care & Treatment, Director of Social Services Gloria Horton, BA, CSW, CDVC represented Broadway House—the nation’s only long-term care facility to receive annual funding from the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program sponsored by the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA). Ms. Horton recently shared her insights from this prestigious gathering.
Please tell us about the conference.
Held in Washington, DC, the conference is an opportunity to network, share best practices, and attend group discussions about how the grant benefits those with HIV/AIDS. Broadway House has been a recipient of this grant since 1997, and I was proud to represent our facility. The conference renewed my commitment to working with those with HIV, and specifically those aging with HIV.
What were the key takeaways?
There were a number of takeaways. One of the biggest is the importance of listening and consumer input. It’s vital that we listen to those infected with HIV/AIDS and be aware of how our services, as well as inclusion and diversity, affect their quality of life. We also need to keep up-to-date with how new legislation affects Broadway House residents and our communities.
What’s the impact on Broadway House residents?
It’s had an immediate positive impact on our residents. Since returning from the conference, I have already reached out to our Director of Quality and Regulatory Affairs about starting a resident advisory committee to get more resident involvement. I also attended certain workshops to specifically listen to conversations that are important, and now I’m encouraging more clinical discussions on those topics: How do comorbidities like arthritis and cognitive changes, which manifest early on, affect those who are aging with HIV? For those born with HIV, how do their bodies and cognition mimic that of someone in their late 50s and 60s? How should we speak to those who are 60+ during assessments to ensure that we’re using respectful language? What can we do to erase assumptions, such as assuming that aging residents aren’t sexual?
Most inspiring moment?
I was fortunate to attend a presentation given by Jeanne White Ginder, the mother of Ryan White—one of the first children diagnosed with AIDS—who passed away in 1990. Several years ago we met, and to see that she is still in the fight to ensure that those affected and infected by HIV are receiving services is amazing! Jeanne shared all the good the Ryan White CARE (Comprehensive AIDS Resource Emergency) Act is doing and how it continues to change lives for the better.
Then, she surprised us with video clips of Ryan and the challenges he experienced due to his diagnosis. Some of those biases and stigma are still happening, even with all the education we have now. By the time she finished her talk, there was not a dry eye in the house. It energized me to keep moving forward in this struggle.
