Professionals’ views on older

drug use

Biba Brand

National Quality Development Manager

November 2009, Glasgow

Methodology:

10 face –to-face interviews

71 self-completion questionnaires – Survey Monkey

Methodology: Background of interviews

OrganisationRemit

Academic 1 Researcher 1

Statutory 4 Manager 7

Voluntary 4 Direct client work 5

Private 1 Clinician 2

Specialisms Addiction/criminal justice - community (1), Addiction/research (1) Addiction/general practice - community (1) Addiction/specialist prescribing – community (1) Addiction - residential (2) Addiction - community (1) Homelessness - community (2), General home support and care – community (1)

Background of self-completion questionnaires

Background of self completions

Organisations Specialisms Statutory 54.9% (39) Specialist Community Based 70.4% (50) Voluntary 42.3% (30) Specialist Residential/In-patient 11.3% (8) Private 2.8% (2) Non-specialist Support Service 18.3% (13) Policy Development Service 0% (0) Other (DTTO, A&R, maternity, ETE (11)

Remits Manager 49.3% (35) Working directly 47.9% (34) Administrator 1.4% (1) Policy/Planning/Commissioning 1.4% (1) Other (manager with client work (5) or policy/planning (2), & 1 team response,) (8)

Proportion of services with older drug users

Strengths

I Challenges for services

Current support Isolation Physical/mental health Overdose and suicide Reviews Continued drug use Late onset injecting Interagency work – elderly care, generic Control over own care

Control over own care

‘Older drug users have a lot of life experiences. They know themselves and from their past, they understand what treatments work for them and when they are ready. They don’t always want to go through the care pathway we decide, but may want to skip some parts or stay longer or shorter in certain services.’

I Vision

Extend & Enhance Existing Provision Practical/emotional home support Recovery - Employability, legal, welfare services Counselling, befriending Social support networks Staff – training, age, consistent, significant

events, motivating (M/F)

(cont’d…)

Motivation…

‘It’s hard motivating older men to move from A to B; whereas for older women, they often want to jump from A to Z and we need to slow them down.’

Vision cont’d

Health Improvement Supported accommodation Residential and crisis services Early screening - chronic conditions Improved pain management Targeted work within existing drug

services

www.sdf.org.uk

biba@sdf.org.uk