roe b., beynon c., pickering l. & duffy p. (2010)Experiences of drug use and ageing: health, quality of life, relationship and service implications. Journal of Advanced Nursing66(9), 1968–1979

Age Concern

Ageing & Society

Arber

Bargagli

Beynon

Boeri

Bornat

Bowling

Crome

Crystal

Denzin

Drug Strategy Directorate

EMCDDA

Gfroerer

Gilhooly

Gossop

Gray

Home Office

Hser

Johnson

Levy

Morse

Myerson

National Institute on Drug Abuse

Pahl

Phillips

Roberts

Ross

Social Exclusion Unit

Tomer

Velleman

Walker

Windle

Woodburn

English

PubMed

&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Aim:&lt;/b&gt; This paper is a report of an exploration of older people’s experiences of substance use in the context of ageing, and its impact on health, quality of life, relationships and service use.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Background:&lt;/b&gt; Use of illicit drugs by older people is a neglected policy, research and service provision and is generally perceived as a lifestyle of younger populations.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Method:&lt;/b&gt; A convenience sample of 11 people aged 49–61 years (mean 57 years) in contact with voluntary sector drug treatment services participated in qualitative semi-structured tape-recorded interviews and thematic content analysis was performed. The data were collected in 2008.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Findings:&lt;/b&gt;  Drug use can have negative impacts on health status, quality of life, family relationships and social networks that accrue with age. Participants were identified as early or later onset users of drugs due to the impact of life events and relationships. A range of substances had been used currently and throughout their lives, with no single gateway drug identified as a prelude to personal drug careers. Life review and reflection were common, in keeping with ageing populations, along with regret of ever having started to use drugs. Living alone and their accommodation made them more susceptible to social isolation, and they reported experiences of death and dying of their contemporaries and family members earlier than usual in the life course.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Conclusion:&lt;/b&gt; Older people who continue to use drugs and require the support of services for treatment and care are an important emerging population and their specific needs should be recognized.&lt;/p&gt

Roe, B.

Beynon, C.

Pickering, L.

Duffy, P.

Enlighten

Experiences of drug use and ageing, quality of life and relationship and service implications

Brenda Roe

Caryl Beynon

Lucy Pickering

Paul Duffy

Crossref

Journal of Advanced Nursing

Experiences of drug use and ageing: health, quality of life, relationship and service implications

Aim.  This paper is a report of an exploration of older people’s experiences of substance use in the context of ageing, and its impact on health, quality of life, relationships and service use. Background.  Use of illicit drugs by older people is a neglected policy, research and service provision and is generally perceived as a lifestyle of younger populations. Method.  A convenience sample of 11 people aged 49–61 years (mean 57 years) in contact with voluntary sector drug treatment services participated in qualitative semi-structured tape-recorded interviews and thematic content analysis was performed. The data were collected in 2008. Findings.  Drug use can have negative impacts on health status, quality of life, family relationships and social networks that accrue with age. Participants were identified as early or later onset users of drugs due to the impact of life events and relationships. A range of substances had been used currently and throughout their lives, with no single gateway drug identified as a prelude to personal drug careers. Life review and reflection were common, in keeping with ageing populations, along with regret of ever having started to use drugs. Living alone and their accommodation made them more susceptible to social isolation, and they reported experiences of death and dying of their contemporaries and family members earlier than usual in the life course. Conclusion.  Older people who continue to use drugs and require the support of services for treatment and care are an important emerging population and their specific needs should recognized

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Experiences of drug use and ageing: health, quality of life, relationship and service implications

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