ABSTRACT
Older persons with HIV may face a variety of legal problems that younger persons with HIV do not have. In exploring the context of these legal problems, it is important to identify the special needs and issues of this population. Therefore, any discussion of legal issues for older people infected with HIV must acknowledge that the very institutions that this population has learned to avoid may be the institutions best suited to helping them make the choices they are confronted with. Even as these institutions become less homophobic, the prevalence of ageism and residual homophobia make the navigation of crucial legal institutions perilous. Laws have been made to protect the rights of all individuals; this includes older adults with HIV/AIDS. Discrimination against older persons with HIV/AIDS in employment, public accommodations, and housing is illegal, as is elder abuse.
