- google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ixVGEWoQzlrx-hll0dp_XcZ2ncvQ?docId=CNG.92e49cb93f1c7fc4348116d5ec926d79.181
- health.yahoo.net/news/s/afp/healthaidsanniversaryelderly
Provide names of other journalists involved.
Hannah Dreier
List date(s) this work was published or aired.
29-May-11
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
A striking number of HIV patients are living longer but getting older faster– showing early signs of illnesses usually only seen in the elderly and suffering from the kind of psychological challenges usually encountered at the end of life. This story combines hard data from studies with anecdotal accounts of the height of the epidemic, and personal stories from today. How to age well is a new and growing concern in the field of H.I.V. care, making the story especially urgent
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
I used medical databases to find relevant studies on the graying of the AIDS epidemic, listservs to find sources, and Nexis to research the early days of the AIDS epidemic in San Francisco
Explain types of human sources used.
I spoke and spent time with about a dozen AIDS patients, eventually whittling this pool down to three stories. I also spoke with doctors who have worked with AIDS patients in the Bay Area, hospice workers and researchers.
Results:
One of the many readers who called and emailed me asking how to volunteer with AIDS patients after the story ran ended up connecting with Vicki Davidson, one of the patients profiled in the story
Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
No
Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
It’s important to spend a good chunk of time with sources when writing a story like this, which looks at the downside of a positive development: living longer than expected. Most of my interviews focused on the good things going on in my sources’ lives. I also found it helpful to compare the rates of disease or impairment in long-lived AIDS patients with the rates found in the general population to help readers understand the statistics.