An increasing number of older adults are living with HIV in Canada. But according to a Toronto-based charity, the current healthcare systems are not prepared to care for the growing number of older Canadians living with HIV.

The Toronto-based charity Realize, advocating for HIV/AIDS, also said that long-term care homes and healthcare facilities across Canada are not equipped to treat older patients living with HIV, who are more likely to have chronic illnesses.

Kate Morzin, national program director at Realize, told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview on Wednesday: "They tend to be more likely to have cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and other chronic illnesses that they have to manage in addition to their HIV. They are now facing the intersection of HIV and aging, which causes a lot of complexity in both their physical health and their mental health, but also in terms of other social factors, such as financial security in older adulthood."

HIV is a sexually transmitted pathogen. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that HIV is an infection that attacks the body's immune system, specifically white blood cells. If the virus succeeds in destroying these cells, the person's immune system weakens, allowing other severe infections to take hold, including tuberculosis, and cancers of the mouth, lung, liver, and fungal infections.

Morzin also said that people living with HIV are at greater risk of disability, mobility challenges, and cognitive issues. She said these challenges affect their quality of life, and without proper help or care, the mental and physical health of people with HIV can consequently deteriorate.

In an email sent on Wednesday, Ken Miller, executive director of the Canadian AIDS Society, told CTVNews.ca that there is "fear" among people dealing with HIV about the type of care they receive.

Miller added: "Overall, medical staff are not properly trained on the complexities of caring for people with HIV, and support workers are usually trained even less." Miller said with more HIV patients living into adulthood, the care of those aging with HIV is generally not focused on during training.

HIV can be spread through sexual activity or by sharing needles or injections. In advanced stages, HIV can lead to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), which severely damages the immune system. Since the 1980s, when HIV/AIDS was classified as a pandemic, millions have died from AIDS-related illnesses worldwide, according to the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS.

According to Statistics Canada, an estimated 62,050 people were living with HIV in 2018. In 2020, there were 1,639 newly diagnosed cases, a 21% decrease from 2019, when 2,122 new cases were reported.

Also, due to the aging of people living with HIV, the infection can continue to be transmitted. Morzin says that streamlining HIV and aging treatment in one place would help reduce HIV transmission.