20 November 2017
Researchers:
Maureen Dutton: Substance Misuse and Ageing Research Team (SMART), Tilda Goldberg Centre for Social Work and Social Care, University of Bedfordshire.
Sarah Wadd: Substance Misuse and Ageing Research Team (SMART), Tilda Goldberg Centre for Social Work and Social Care, University of Bedfordshire.
Key findings
- Three out of four residential alcohol treatment facilities (rehabs) in England are excluding older adults on the basis of arbitrary age limits.
- The majority of rehabs have limited or no disabled access, further limiting access to older adults with disabilities or limited mobility.
- Some older adults found living alongside younger residents in rehab challenging because of the “generation gap” but others felt that younger residents enriched their experience of rehab.
- Some older adults feel unsafe in rehab and are bullied, intimidated and subjected to ageist language and attitudes.
- Rehabs can be ‘age blind’, that is, they treat all residents in a similar way with the result that the needs of older adults are not fully met.
