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.”
