Awareness and Knowledge on Aging and HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorder: Service User and Provider Perspectives in Southern Nevada

HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorder (HAND) is a condition that can affect up to 50% of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH) and present as a cluster of neurocognitive difficulties in domains such as attention, memory, concentration, language, information processing, decision-making, problem-solving, and even motor skills. The current study intended to identify awareness and knowledge of HAND among middle-aged and older PLWH and their healthcare or service providers in Southern Nevada. Using a Community-Based Participatory Research approach, participants from the community were recruited to complete a survey that assessed awareness and knowledge of HAND. The survey also assessed the personal experiences of PLWH related to neurocognitive difficulties, as well as the work experiences of healthcare and service providers related to their patients’ or clients’ neurocognitive issues. In this thesis, the findings, descriptive statistics, and discourse reveal the current levels of awareness of HAND in Southern Nevada, as well as examine the demographic variables that are associated with knowledge of HAND in the community. The lessons learned discussed in this thesis underscore the need to raise awareness and knowledge of HAND among relevant community stakeholders so that individuals, programs, and services can be better prepared to identify and address HAND as the need arises