Alcohol and dementia: Fact or Fiction?
The session “Alcohol and Dementia: Fact or Fiction?” drew on Tony’s 20-year experience in a community mental health team in South London, where many of his patients were Irish. Tony has researched alcohol, addictions and mental illness in older people, publishing widely in peer-reviewed journals.
In addition to clinical practice and research, Tony advises on alcohol /addiction policy especially in relation to elders. He writes in the Guardian and Observer and has published two novellas based on his work with patients and families.
Tony recognised early in his career that older people with alcohol and mental health issues fell into a policy gap. Being older, they were not seen as important and with two problems did not meet criteria for either alcohol or mental health provision.
Tony was inspired 20 years ago by a worker from Southwark Irish Pensioners Project whom he met regularly at the bus-stop. When Tony asked how best to help his Irish clients, the man replied that what they needed was a home and a roof over their heads.
Stigma
Tony’s work never neglects the relationship between alcohol use and deprivation, social and cultural isolation. He understands the impact of bereavement, depression, job loss or financial worries and is particularly concerned about the stigma, shame and stereotyping which prevent people seeking help.
Tony’s talk which can be found on Irish in Britain’s website was both worrying and encouraging. He reiterated the link between alcohol and dementia even for moderate drinkers. He highlighted age-related changes in metabolism, the brain and comorbidities which increase sensitivity to alcohol.
He argues that there are no health benefits to alcohol but if older people want to drink, a limit of 11 alcohol units per week is advisable. Given the predicted rise in cases of dementia in the next decades, this is a message we avoid at our peril.
The good news is that alcohol problems in older people can be successfully treated. Research shows that memory and cognition changes can be reversed quickly by abstinence. This is encouraging.
All we need hope for is a professional like Dr Rao who understands the personal, social, and cultural context of older peoples’ lives.
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