Restoring Hope

More than a quarter of a century after the first AIDS diagnosis, it is time to examine what we have learned about supporting and caring for those infected with this terrible disease. How can we optimize health services for the more than 33 million people who are HIV positive today -- and the millions more who will need care and support tomorrow? 'Decent care', a concept adapted from the world of work, builds on the philosophical and spiritual traditions of dignity, respect, agency and integrity. The authors represent a wide variety of faiths and cultural traditions from around the world. Each brings his or her unique background to bear upon the experience of HIV. They go beyond mere speculation about decency and enter instead upon personal journeys of the heart. For those charged with developing health systems and providing health services, this volume is a call to re-examine assumptions -- about what care is and how it should be practised. Rather than issuing yet another demand for radical reform, the writers here make the case for thinking clearly and critically. Most importantly, they urge people living with HIV to become full partners in designing and implementing their own care -- and for caregivers to accept them in this role. That is the critical challenge of decent care.