Hope Is Forked: Hope, Loss, Treatments, and AIDS Dementia

In the HIV epidemic hope and loss are temporally structured according to pre, and post highly active antiretroviral therapies (HAART). AIDS dementia is a neurological condition on which HAART has had an important impact, yet this form of dementia has received little sociocultural attention. In this article, the author explores ethnographically personal hope from the perspective of “Matthew,” a significant other to a person with AIDS dementia, and how treatments influence this. Hope is present in Matthew's narrative, but its nature is complex and fluctuates with the arrival and perceived failure of HAART. The author concludes by suggesting that hope in this context is forked, which is suggestive of the tenacious nature of hope in the context of AIDS dementia in the era of HAART.