22.06.11
Call for rethink on elderly drinkers’ recommended intake
The Royal College of Psychiatrists has suggested recommended daily alcohol limits for older drinkers should be reduced.
The report argued that current guidelines for safe weekly intakes, 21 units for men and 14 for women, are based on research on young adults and should not be applied to the over 65s.
The recommendation that a safe upper limit of 1.5 units, or 11 units per week, be implemented is in response to the fact that bodies change as they age, leading to different capabilities in processing alcohol.
Professor Ilana Crome, Professor of Addiction Psychiatry and chair of the group that wrote the report, says it is a hidden problem but one that is growing in scale.
“The traditional view is that alcohol misuse is uncommon in older people and that the misuse of drugs is very rare - this is simply not true. A lack of awareness means that GPs and other healthcare professionals often overlook or discount the signs when someone has a problem.
“We hope this report highlights the scale of the problem, and that the multiple medical and social needs of this group of people are not ignored any longer.”
The group’s recommendations equate to just over half a pint of beer or a small glass of wine as a safe daily intake limit.
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