Funded by The National Lottery Community Fund, the qualitative study was carried out by Dr Jennifer Seddon and Dr Sarah Wadd from SMART (Substance Misuse & Ageing Research Team) at the University of Bedfordshire, and researchers Dr Paulina Trevena and Professor Lawrie Elliott from Glasgow Caledonian University’s Department of Nursing and Community Health.

The research explored the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown on older adult service users, including:

• The impact on their alcohol consumption
• How alcohol services have adapted and supported older service users and how staff experienced these changes
• The short and long-term implications for service provision
• How service responses could be improved

Read the full report via the Drink Wise Age Well website: ‘Addressing the needs of older adults receiving alcohol treatment during the Covid-19 pandemic’

Dr Jennifer Seddon, Research Fellow at the University of Bedfordshire’s Institute of Applied Social Research, said: “Many treatment services for alcohol use moved to a model of remote service support during the pandemic. However, we found that face-to-face contact was an essential part of supporting older adults in alcohol treatment. Treatment services may see increased demand as a result of the pandemic, therefore it’s important that services consider the needs of older adults, many of whom may be marginalised by a remote model of service provision.”

Dr Paulina Trevena, a researcher in Glasgow Caledonian University’s Department of Nursing and Community Health, agreed: “We found that face-to-face contact with service users is crucial. Under current Covid-19 restrictions alcohol support services have been mostly over the phone or online but these pose huge barriers and challenges for older adults with many unable to access online support in particular. 

“Most of the service users expressed a clear preference and need for face-to-face support. It helps combat loneliness, a frequent reason behind drinking in older age, and facilitates a better understanding of alcohol interventions, particularly for those with speech or hearing impairments.”

The three-month study took place between July and September 2020 with participants involved from seven alcohol treatment services providing support in urban and rural areas of Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It involved phone and online interviews with fifteen alcohol service staff and thirty service users aged 55 and over.

After evaluating the findings, a list of recommendations has been made which will help improve and shape UK-wide services in the future and inform governments on what works best for older adult’s alcohol service provision. The recommendations included:

• To maintain accessible and flexible phone support for older adults
• That remote service provision should be provided in addition to – rather than instead of – face-to-face support, where possible
• To strengthen links with existing community health and social care services to help prevent older adults falling between services and, ultimately, preventing unnecessary hospital admission
• To ensure older adults who wish to engage online are supported to do so

Dr Paulina Trevena from Glasgow Caledonian University added: “The key findings were that the impact of Covid-19 on alcohol use amongst older adults is mixed with some people drinking more than usual, some drinking less or the same, and some maintaining abstinence.

“Remote support over the phone or online is not suitable for those with speech impediments or hard of hearing, or with serious mental health issues.

“The results of this study are important for the future because there is a general move towards putting more health services online or phone calls but this research shows that with older adults face-to-face support is essential and remote support cannot be used instead of face-to-face meetings.”

In response to the pandemic and the issues highlighted in the study, We Are With You has launched an over-50s specific alcohol helpline using learning from its Drink Wise Age Well programme. It is a free, national helpline, made possible thanks to funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, running seven days a week where over 50s can speak to a trained advisor for confidential advice, information and support about drinking concerns for themselves or others.

Dr Jennifer Seddon from the University of Bedfordshire added: “It’s great that this research has helped inform the launch of a much-needed helpline for people over the age of 50 who may be in need of support. It’s results like these which make our collaborative research projects even more worthwhile.”

For more information about past and current research projects which the SMART research team is involved in, visit: www.beds.ac.uk/iasr/about/research/smart