It calls for care home staff to
receive training in substance misuse, so that older people might receive the
help they need.
The report finds that upper age cut-offs in substance use services, a
lack of specialist staff, and a failure to refer older adults for
treatment are among the factors driving substance misuse in older
people. High-risk drug users aged over 40 may soon become the largest
drug treatment population in Europe, it warns, adding that the complex
and varied needs of older opiate/opioid users will increasingly become a
mainstream treatment activity.
The report concludes: “Many substance misuse services in the UK do
not adequately cater to the needs of this cohort and services will need
to adapt to fit to this permitting trend.”
Residential Forum 