DOs:

• Sympathise and empathise with them

• Provide them family and social support

• Allow them to be a part of the family as he / she was prior to disclosure of the infection

• Allow them to get back to their work as soon as soon as he / she is physically fit, since HIV infection doesn’t require special rest

• Keep them engaged in some activity, as an empty mind is a devil’s workshop

• Make efforts to reduce their stress

• Encourage them to exercise and meditate as these help prolong the life span

• Provide them with a high protein, high vitamin diet and clean potable water (boiled)

• Convince them to stop all addictions such as tobacco cigarettes, alcohol or other psychotropic / recreational drugs

• Register them with a health care facility for regular checks and follow up

• Take immediate steps to treat even minor ailments. However, it is not necessary to disclose their HIV status to their family physician

• Dispose off blood stained tampons and bandages properly, either by flushing or by disinfecting them first with detergent

• Advice them to use safe sex (condoms) with their sex partner, even if partner is already HIV positive

• Purse them at any appropriate time, to make a will

• Provide foster care to their children

• Help fight the discrimination meted out to them by hospitals , doctors and employers

• Educate family members and friends about HIV / AIDS, if they already know the HIV status of the patient.

DON’TS:

• Don’t accuse them for getting infected, it doesn’t help

• Don’t try to probe into when, where the person was infected

• Don’t make them feel guilty

• Don’t isolate them in their home / workplace

• Don’t separate them from spouse or children, since they are the best support for them. It is important for them to spend quality family time together

• Don’t use gloves in feeding the infected person or to wipe off his saliva, sweat, nasal secretions and tears

• Don’t share razors, tooth brush and other sharp objects with infected person or for that matter with any body else

• It is not necessary to wash their clothes seperately

• Don’t disclose the HIV status of infected person to friends, employer and insurance company

• Don’t humiliate the infected person, his / her spouse or children

• Don’t scare them of suffering and death. In the terminal stage, prepare them for a smooth journey to death

• Don’t get conned by the fake claims, false cures, witch hunters and faith healers. Wait for declaration of the noble prize for the real cure

• Don’t spend the entire available money limit in the first bout of illness, it may be the first of such illnesses in the pipeline. Make a proper planning of your spending capability.

• Don’t take many relatives to see the patient admitted in hospital

• Don’t test for HIV repeatedly, once the presence of infection is established it remains there forever

When dealing with a person living with HIV / AIDS (PLWHA) the bottom line is that you must treat them , the way out would like to be treated if you were infected with HIV.

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