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Changing Scenario in Older Adults
The US population is aging. Life expectancy has increased dramatically during the past century from 47 years for American born in 1900 to 77 years in 2001 (7). Baby boomers will significantly contribute to this growth, as older Americans hitting the age 65 by 2011, will triple (7, 8). Further, life expectancy in America can be attributed to improved sanitation, medical care and preventive health services during the past three decades.

Older Americans also have unique challenges compared with other cohorts. There has also been an acknowledgement at the federal level, that ethnicity is also a driving factor in the "Call to Action (8)." Addressing health disparities among older adults of different ethnic backgrounds will be an underlying theme for the CDC.
It has also been reported that the average 75 year-old may have three chronic conditions and may use up to five prescription drugs. The number of physicians that specialize in geriatric medicine in the U.S. fell by a third between 1998 and 2004 (18). US medical schools as of late have engaged in a number of strategies to entice medical school graduates into geriatric medicine. According to the American Medical Association (AMA) only 330 doctors this year (2007) have completed geriatric training. There is considerable concern about the number of geriatricians facing retirement during the next five years. As a result, the consequences of the nursing shortage may be replicated in geriatric medicine. Questions remain if the medical community at large has the wherewithal to adequately address the demographic needs of older Americans in the next decade, which may also lead to new challenges in health care delivery.

Adding the complexity of HIV/AIDS, older Americans may be confronted with additional challenges in a potentially fragile health care infrastructure. Subsequently, promoting healthy behaviors among older Americans has been a consistent goal of the Centers for Disease Control "Healthy People 2010 Initiative." Moreover, HIV/AIDS may be indirectly linked to "Responsible Sexual Behavior" a leading health indicators in Healthy People 2010 (22). Consequently, there is no direct acknowledgment of HIV/AIDS in either CDC report (7, 8) or the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System that assists states survey US adults in a wide range of personal behaviors. Nonetheless, increased attention is warranted concerning older Americans affected by HIV/AIDS. Therefore the purpose of this paper

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