BY PAUL SCHINDLER | Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE) has partnered with Self Care Catalysts, a cloud-based provider of solution analytics for health care patients, in launching a Health Storylines digital app that allows individuals to create and maintain an accurate record — or “story” — of their health for their own use, as well as that of their health care team and of researchers.
The SAGE Health Storylines app was designed with the specific needs of LGBTQ seniors in mind and was launched on June 5, HIV Long-Term Survivors Day, a day that acknowledges the success but also the challenges of people living full lives while also living with the HIV virus. It was on June 5, 1981 that the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention first publicly disclosed its findings about a mysterious new illness that was killing gay men.
Today, 59 percent of all Americans living with HIV are 50 and older, and by 2020 that number is expected to climb to 70 percent. To date, more than 360,000 people in the US have died of AIDS — with a staggering 6.4 million deaths worldwide — but in 2017, “aging is the new face of HIV,” as Long-Term Survivors Day organizers have said.
The new app that Self Care Catalysts created for SAGE is intended to encourage LGBTQ seniors to get into the habit of staying on top of their health. The app allows for medication reminders, the monitoring of daily symptoms, and the tracking of both vital signs and moods. The technology allows users to share that information and their story with health care professionals as well as loved ones they designate as part of their Circle of Support network.
“We are very excited to launch a new app called SAGE Health Storylines, focusing on the needs of our community by helping HIV older adults to engage in their self-care and make better daily health decisions,” said Diosdado Gica, SAGE’s chief program officer. “It’s incredibly user-friendly and can enhance conversations between app users, their health care providers, and care managers.”
Gica added that the digital tool dovetails well with the group’s strategic plan to scale up its impact by sharing its expertise and services with affiliates outside the New York area.
Grace Castillo-Soyao, Self Care Catalysts’ CEO, said, “We are proud to partner with SAGE to support resources for older adults within the LGBT community. Our belief is that when patients are informed, respected, and engaged, they make better choices, resulting in better health outcomes.”
The free SAGE Health Storylines app is available for download at the Apple and Google Play app stores or for desktop usage at sage.healthstorylines.com/app/#/login.
