Majority of residential alcohol treatment centres unfairly excluding older adults, new study warns

New research published today (20 November) shows 1three out of four residential alcohol treatment facilities (rehabs) in England are failing older adults on the basis of arbitrary age limits which prevent them from accessing specialist rehab support. The study, which is being debated at a panel discussion at the House of Lords on Tuesday, 21 November, is being published together with a new report by Drink Wise, Age Well which shows deep and widespread ageism across the whole alcohol treatment system in the UK. 2With higher-risk drinking declining across all age groups other than the over 50s and new figures showing alcohol-specific deaths have increased significantly in the over 50s – with the highest rates among those aged 55 to 64 years in 2016 – it’s time to act. The study ‘Accessibility and Suitability of Residential Alcohol Treatment for Older Adults’ funded by Alcohol Research UK and conducted by the Substance Misuse and Ageing Research Team (SMART) at the University of Bedfordshire shows: Three out of four (75%) alcohol rehabs in England exclude older people on the basis of arbitrary age limits and more than half (55%) exclude them at the age of 66. Where older adults do access rehab, some found living alongside younger residents challenging because of the “generation gap” but some respondents felt that younger residents enriched their experience of rehab. Bullying, intimidation and ageist language and attitudes meant some older people felt unsaf...
Source: Alcohol Research UK - Category: Addiction Authors: Tags: News alcohol services treatment treatment services Source Type: news