Orphans and Vulnerable Children - CRIN

Nutritional Support for Adults Living with HIV/AIDS

In this activity, you will:

 Discuss the nutritional needs of adults who are HIV positive

Facilitator’s notes:

The mortality of parents and guardians due to HIV/AIDS poses a huge challenge to communities to

accommodate and care for the resulting orphans and vulnerable children. However, it is important

for home visitors to show adults who are living with HIV (and have not yet got full blown AIDS),

that there is a lot they can do to ensure that their own health is maintained. One way is to make

sure that they are eating properly and getting the nutritional requirements they need.

Adults with HIV may suffer from loss of appetite, difficulty eating and poor absorption of nutrients.

This compromises their nutrition and results in deteriorating health. Good nutrition practices can

contribute to the adoption of a positive attitude, which normally improves the quality of life for

adults with HIV/AIDS.

To improve their nutritional status, an adult living with HIV needs:

 Between 10 - 30% more energy intake than an adult who is HIV negative.

 To do light exercise, to keep healthy and build up an appetite.

 To use anti-retrovirals (ARVs), if possible.

 To get treatment for symptoms or conditions that affect their appetite or ability to eat, such

as mouth sores.

 To avoid eating foods that upset the stomach, such as sugary, acidic and spicy foods.

Home visitors can offer support to adults living with HIV by:

 Helping them to access dietary information on nutrition and HIV.

 Encouraging them to have regular check-ups, to monitor their weight and nutritional status.

 Encouraging them to get enough light exercise to prevent loss of muscle and strength.

 Supporting them to get treatment for illnesses that affect their health.

For this activity you will need:

 Flipchart and markers

 Reference notes on HIV/AIDS in Appendix 2 on page 355

Facilitator’s notes:

1 This activity links to the last one and gives participants a further chance to discuss how HIV

affects the nutritional status of adults. As home visitors, participants may be required to help

in households where adults and older youth are HIV positive and are in need of support.

You may want to open the discussion by giving the information above and taking questions from

the group. Use the reference notes to help you answer questions; or you can get participants

to do research on the subject for homework.

Activity 5

20 minutes

(^232) Unit 2, Module 3 Guide to Mobilising and Strengthening Community-Led Care for Orphans and Vulnerable Children