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Scotland is partner in Euro study on older drug users
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15 May 2008
A MAJOR new research project has been set up to improve the health of older drug users across Europe, whose numbers are expected to more than double by 2020.
The project - which has won EU funding - is being driven by a coalition of academics and non-government drugs organisations in Germany, Austria, Poland and Scotland, which is represented by Scottish Drugs Forum.
The moves comes as the EU’s drugs agency - the
European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction - warns of the “new and greater demands” which will be placed on services to meet the needs of this growing number of older users.
The research project aims to provide guidelines for community-based and residential care for drug users aged over 35, many of whom have chronic problems due to polydrug use, and poor mental and physical health.
One of the key priorities will be to pin down the true numbers, ages and genders of long-term drug users aged up to 70 in Frankfurt, Vienna, Warsaw, and in Edinburgh and Glasgow, as well as look at the living and health care problems of this group.
interviews
The researchers will also identify examples of good practice in caring for senior drug dependents in the
partner countries by interviewing experts in the field and looking at further literature research in European countries. They also plan to interview senior drug dependents directly and to explore what living and caring arrangements in old age they would prefer for themselves.
The 30-month-long study will be co-ordinated by Prof. Dr. Irmgard Vogt of the Institute of Addiction Research at the University of Applied Sciences in Frankfurt. It will also look at how each partner country delivers community-based and residential care for senior drug dependents.
The results will be published on a project website - details to be announced when available - and there are also plans to hold national seminars in each country to discuss concrete steps on how to proceed in the implementation of care for senior drug dependents.
A European conference will be also be held – date not set yet – to raise awareness for present and future needs of ageing drug dependents and discuss practical aspects of how to effectively care for them.
chronic
David Liddell, Director of SDF, said: “There is a growing population of senior drug dependents, aged between 35 and 45 and older in all European countries.
“Most of them are polydrug users, often injecting opiate users, and most have mental health problems and many will suffer from chronic infectious diseases.
“In Scotland, a large proportions of drug-related deaths in Scotland occur within this age group but we also strongly suspect that many lives are cut short due to the impact of bloodborne viruses and other chronic health conditions associated with problem drug use.
focus
"For those who do survive, quality of life can be very poor because of continued poor health, lack of income and lack of hope, compounded by stigma and marginalisation.
“Yet the focus of drugs policy and practice is very much on young people and prevention and there has been virtually no action at European level to help this group of drug users.
“Only a few actions take plce at national level that focus on senior drug dependents and their care and treatment needs. The Scottish Government has pledged to make Scotland a fairer and healthier country and sharpen focus on improving public health and reducing inequalities, which is why we welcome their interest in this project.”
Project partners are:
• Verein Arbeits- und Erziehungshilfe, (VAE)_e.V., Frankfurt/Main, Germany
• Institut für Soziale Infrastruktur, (ISIS) Frankfurt/Main, Germany
• Scottish Drugs Forum (SDF)
•Schweizer Haus Hadersdorf (SHH),Vienna, Austria
• European Centre for Social Welfare and Research (EC Vienna), Vienna, Austria ~
• Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology (IPIN), Warsaw, Poland.
Co-operating partners on the European and the national levels so far include:
• European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (ECMDDA)
• European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
• Ministry of Health, Berlin
• Department of Drugs and Addiction, Hamburg
• Ministry of Health, Family and Youth, Vienna
• The Scottish Government.
Substance use among older adults: a neglected problem: EMCDDA report