how could we council AIDS patients?

Answer 1

Be with him or her - listen to them - make them talk
Dont accuse or critizise them
dont insult
assure them that - "YOU" are with them

Answer 2

Emotional support and honest, nonjudgmental counseling is vital to working with AIDS patients.

The patient needs to be aware of how HIV is transmitted. I am guessing from your name you are in South Asia? In this case, the family of the patient needs to be informed about how HIV is transmitted, particularly how HIV is NOT transmitted via household contact. They need to understand hygiene and safety measures (no sharing of shaving razors, but sharing food is okay; boil water to prevent infections, etc.).

One of the hardest AIDS issues in South Asia is that people ostracize AIDS patients. Families will expel their sick relatives from the home out of fear, and that leaves AIDS patients homeless, sick, without support, without medical attention and very lonely.

I think AIDS patients need to be informed about their place in society and be assured that they should not be cast out. At the same time, society needs to learn that casting out AIDS patients is unnecessary and detrimental to their health.

Basic health education needs to be included as well. Teach people about basic HIV prevention. Teach hygienic practices to prevent illness.

Answer 3

treat the person like human and the disease as allien invador
rest is already said
by the two people

Answer 4

Hi.

HIV/AIDS counseling is a confidential dialogue between a client and a care provider, who is known as a counsellor. Counseling aims to enable the client to cope with stress and to make personal decisions related to HIV/AIDS. It includes an evaluation of personal risk of HIV transmission and facilitation of preventive behaviour. The process begins with the client's first contact with a counselor for HIV related needs.

Counseling is offered to create a helping relationship between the counselor and the infected or affected person to help him/her and/or the related family and community cope with the challenges posed by HIV infection and disease.



Components of HIV/AIDS counseling session.

The provision of emotional support, including helping the client to cope with stress and plan for the future. In addition, the assessment of risks and planning for risk reduction, including the development of a decision-making capacity about options for prevention.


The types of counseling:

Pre-test Counseling
Offered to clients before carrying out an HIV antibody test to establish their sero-status and to those interested in information on HIV infection and disease.
It aims at preparing a person to make an informed decision about whether to take an HIV test and to consider implications of the positive or negative results and ways of living with them.
This counseling also helps a person to consider behavioral change as a means of preventing HIV infection and to realise the dangers of having unprotected sex, which could increase the risk of HIV infection.
Situations that may require post test counseling: A couple intending to get married; someone who has lost a spouse or a child to HIV/AIDS; a mother having a sick child who has symptoms of HIV/AIDS; someone sick or worried.

Post test Counseling
Offered to a client who is willing to receive and learn about the HIV antibody test results. It helps to ensure that the person has understood the meaning of the results s/he has received and provides the emotional support necessary to cope with the results.

Prevention Counseling
Provides information to clients with regard to preventing infection and re-infection of HIV and STD. This counseling helps the client think about the factors that may predispose him/her to opportunistic infections and what s/he can do to minimise those risks.

Bereavement Counseling
Offered to the close spouses, children and family members in the event of the death of their relative. It aims at helping the family members develop a positive perspective on death and other losses related to HIV infection, such as physical deterioration of the body, loss of friends and decline in economic well being.

Crisis Counseling.
In the context of HIV infection and disease a crisis may be sparked off by any of the following: Sudden onset of an illness e.g. herpes zoster, intractable diarrhea, skin rash, etc; sudden fear or indicator of dying and loss of spouse or child; hospitalisation and seeing others who are doing well die; sudden loss of employment and accommodation; losing a friend or relative you had entrusted your future life with.

Couple Counseling
Couple counseling is where two individuals or more who have had or intend to have sexual relations discuss issues concerning HIV infection and diseases together. This helps to strengthen the relationship and promote mutual understanding. Couple counseling enables the two individuals to share and learn more information on HIV infection and STD.

Together and individually, the persons involved make joint strategies of supporting one another socially and psychologically. They are able to share their feelings, anxieties, concerns and worries about HIV infection and diseases. In order to develop and promote behavioral change strategies, couple counseling gives the couple an opportunity to identify factors that can predispose them to HIV and to set strategies for prevention. It enables both individuals to set joint strategies on how to avoid becoming infected with HIV and other STD's, as well as how to prevent pregnancy. It also helps the couple learn more information on safer sex methods e.g. condom use, having family dialogue etc.

Family Counseling
This is offered to those living in a committed relationship with a client, those living in the same household as a client and important members of the client's extended family or community.