Confronting Death: Co-infection with HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C

This paper discusses a qualitative study completed by the researcher revealing the need for assistance for people living with a co-infection of HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C. It is the role of a social worker to assist this at-risk population. Services must be made available to those co-infected, including courses on end of life coping skills, substance abuse, stigma, and depression and anxiety. Included in this article is a study that documents qualitative data from clients at a Drop-in Center in Providence, Rhode Island for people living with HIV/AIDS. The data proved inconclusive with regards to co-infection and death and dying, but demonstrates that death and dying still play a large role in persons diagnosed with HIV. Within the excerpts, the following 5 themes were identified: initial shock and references to dying, drug use as a method for coping with death, perseverance after initial diagnosis, hepatitis C adding additional worry and stress to HIV diagnosis, and the inability to cope with death and dying. Implications suggest that further data be collected on this topic and that death and dying needs to be addressed by social workers in a therapeutic setting when working with this population