NAPWA Care and Support Audit

The Care and Support Snapshot Survey (CSSS) prepared by NAPWA is new,important work for NAPWA to undertake because it asks and then listens to the perceptions of a range of positive people. It includes a number of questions about service needs, constituency and representation, geography and the policy and advocacy work of NAPWA through the lens of positive people.

The survey was mailed out to approximately 100 HIV positive delegates attending the NAPWA Tenth Biennial Conference in Adelaide in 2005. Completed survey instruments were accepted until the closing date of January 27, 2006. A total of 64 surveys were completed and returned by mail to NAPWA.

The comments and issues raised spoke to a number of concerns positive people wanted to communicate about what life is like for them and their HIV positive friends.They directly name problems and in some cases propose solutions. The needs and experiences of many people are expressed as a series of transitions,sometimes interrelated,and cover a diversity of experience. The final section of the report arrives at thematic approaches in summarising peer experiences reported by this group of HIV positive respondents including:

• ‘Burden’of HIV
• ‘Cost burden’of HIV
• Certain vulnerabilities
• Essential services
• Work
• Peer support
• Building resilience
• HIV awareness

The results indicated there are ‘transitions’ or ‘zones’ that HIV positive people are managing as they make changes to their personal circumstances and continue to move towards embracing improved health outcomes. Some people are able to benefit from opportunities as a result of the effectiveness [1](Of a drug or treatment). The maximum ability of a drug or treatment to produce a result regardless of dosage. A drug passes efficacy trials if it is effective at the dose tested and against the illness for which it is prescribed. In the standard procedure, Phase II clinical trials gauge efficacy, and Phase III trials confirm it. of treatments and improved health monitoring and management. For others, it is important to understand that having their HIV ‘controlled’ by treatments does not equate with chronic manageable illness in HIV. There is still no cure for HIV and ‘chronic manageable illness’ does not mean a good quality of life, way of life, existence, or standard of living for many people. The report also identifies that there are still many areas requiring targeted ongoing advocacy and policy responses.

The survey was never intended to be representative of Australia’s HIV population. Instead, it was conducted among a group of positive people attending the NAPWA conference, which is a vehicle to draw together HIV positive people from around the nation. The results from this analysis should be seen as a starting point for discussion and may be indicative of issues warranting further exploration or understanding through a variety of means including research, case studies or HIV sector discussion.

Attachment	Size	Type
Transitions [2]	975.25 KB	PDF
Pressure Points [3]	294.59 KB	PDF
Literature Review [4]	257.15 KB	PDF
Bibliography [5]	52.67 KB	PDF