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. 2024 Sep;72(9):2816-2824.
doi: 10.1111/jgs.18970. Epub 2024 May 31.

Telehealth access and experiences of older adults with HIV during the COVID-19 pandemic: Lessons for the future

Emily Reyes  1 , Janelle Silvis  2 , Monica Gandhi  3 , Ying Shi  1   4 , Meredith Greene  1   5
Affiliations

Telehealth access and experiences of older adults with HIV during the COVID-19 pandemic: Lessons for the future

Emily Reyes et al. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2024 Sep.

Abstract

Background: Telehealth services are proposed to improve access and retention to care for people with HIV (PWH). Yet the rapid uptake of telehealth services during the COVID-19 pandemic created equity concerns, especially for already vulnerable populations. Older PWH may face a combination of barriers to telehealth but also stand to benefit given social isolation and the need for multimorbidity management. Few studies have focused on this population, and we aimed to assess the telehealth capability and experiences of older PWH at an urban HIV clinic.

Methods: We did this in two ways: (1) we contacted PWH aged ≥65 via telephone about telehealth capabilities and (2) we conducted focus groups with older PWH who transitioned from in-person to virtual classes affiliated with the clinic.

Results: Among 179 PWH aged ≥65, 80 answered the telehealth questions. Among those who answered, 91% were male with a mean age of 69 (SD 3.0), and 55% were White. One-third did not have internet access or an email address. A total of 65% had at least one telehealth-capable device but 12.5% of respondents with a device did not know how to use it. Thirteen older PWH participated in focus groups with a mean age of 64 (SD 6.9) and 44% female. Themes were grouped into benefits (social/emotional connection and convenience) and challenges (technological barriers and missed in-person experience).

Conclusion: Participants preferred in-person classes but felt telehealth was a good alternative for mitigating isolation. Telehealth gave those with mobility and transportation issues improved access to supportive services. As the COVID-19 public health emergency ends, hybrid options should be considered to improve access for older PWH and address social isolation. Ensuring equitable access to devices and digital literacy training will be critical to ensure services can be utilized.

Keywords: COVID‐19; HIV; aging; older adults; telehealth.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest

Dr. Greene has received grant support from Gilead Sciences which has supported the Golden Compass program. Dr. Greene also receives support from the National Institute on Aging (K76AG064545-01) and (R03AG05634). All other authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.

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