TRUST

Why is it important to build trust while ageing with HIV?

We learn more and more about HIV as we grow older. For example, about the longer term effects of using ARVs for decades, how to stay fit and motivated while living with HIV, or why some family members might be living with HIV and others not. So, how do we build and maintain a culture of trust that enables people living with HIV to learn about and exchange information on HIV and ageing?

Our aim is to ‘collect’ the key issues and questions that we as a HIV community face on our path towards healthy ageing with HIV. And then, to allow us to reflect on these issues and share our experiences so we can learn from each other and decide for ourselves what might work best to live healthily with HIV.

What is the ‘tower of trust’?

The tower of trust is a game that allows for members of the HIV community and our allies to work together to identify and discuss key issues around HIV and ageing in a respectful way.

The approach is unique as it allows participants to pose their issues and questions fully anonymously. Whilst playing the game, selected questions will be randomly drawn from the tower and discussed in the group made of the HIV community and, when appropriate, health professionals.

This is how the tower of trust can help us to take away fears or anxieties, and empower people to ask questions and share experiences! And this is all done in a unique and fun way.

What have we done so far?

First of all, with our online community of thrivers, we have looked at some key issues and questions that we come across our path towards ageing healthily with HIV. We realised that individually we might not have the answers to all our questions around ageing with HIV, but collectively we can discuss these and try to answer them as a HIV community. Hence, the ‘ tower of trust’ was born!

In September we played our very first ‘tower of trust’ game with a diverse group of people living with HIV and our allies during the 4th National HIV positive Day, an initiative by Utopia_BXL, in Brussels, Belgium. Find below some impressions of the game and outcomes:

What still needs to be done?

The ‘ tower of trust’ is an easy and fun way to discuss difficult topics in the global HIV community. We now already have over 30 genuine questions from the global HIV community around health, family-related matters, the future, and many more topics. As the sessions only allow for a certain number of questions to be answered, we would like to explore ways of how we can connect (digitally) to share these questions and seek inspiring answers to key issues important for the global HIV community.

We would also like to explore if a digital version of the ‘tower of trust’ can be developed. And of course, the game will be further refined and integrated as a step in the ‘five ways to THRIVE’ approach. Finally, we would like to design and offer a simple guide for facilitators to use these during sessions on HIV and ageing.