One in five older drinkers are consuming dangerous amounts of alcohol each week, with wealthy pensioners the biggest culprits, according to a new study.
Over-65s are putting their health at risk by drinking above government guideline amounts, experts warned. They urged GPs to ask members of the baby boomer generation about their drinking as a matter of routine.
The figures suggest that drinking among pensioners could be more of a problem than previously thought. In general lifestyle surveys for England, one in five men drinks over safe limits while among women, it is one in ten.
In the latest research, 21 per cent of over-65s admitted exceeding the guidelines of 21 units for men or 14 for women, and the top 5 per cent of drinkers reported consuming more than 49 units per week for men — equivalent to about four bottles of wine — and more than 23 units per week for women, or more than two bottles of wine.
A small glass of wine contains about 1.5 units, while a pint of lower-strength beer or lager is around two units.
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Tony Rao, from King’s College London and lead author of the study, said: “As the baby boomer generation become seniors, they represent an ever increasing population of older people drinking at levels that pose a risk to their health.
“This study shows the need for greater awareness of the potential for alcohol-related harm in older people, particularly those of higher socioeconomic status, who may suffer the consequences of ill health from alcohol at an earlier age than those in previous generations.”
Separate analysis by the same team revealed that 14 per cent of the most prosperous fifth of people drink over safe limits, compared with 8 per cent of the most deprived.
Dr Rao added: “In my own practice, whereas 15 years ago the average age for referral would be for a patient in their mid-70s, it is now closer to the mid to late-60s . . . I am now seeing people in their 60s with alcohol-related brain damage.”
He said that the NHS was “struggling to cope” and most addiction services were not equipped to deal with the unique problems of the over-65s.
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Adam Gordon, honorary secretary of the British Geriatrics Society, said that retirement afforded people both the time and the opportunity to drink at higher levels “without the adverse effects on work or family life that younger people with more fixed commitments might experience”.
However, Dr Gordon warned that older patients were, “if anything, more vulnerable to ill health caused by alcohol”. He said: “Doctors need to be attentive to the fact that more older people are drinking at higher levels and need to remember to ask about it during routine consultations.”
He said that extra complexities were added as people became more frail and dependent in later old age. Those with conditions such as dementia might find it harder to keep track of their drinking, while alcohol could interact with medication for chronic health conditions.
The researchers looked at anonymised GP records for 27,991 people aged over 65 in Lambeth, south London. They found 9,248 drank alcohol, 1,980 at unsafe levels.
Dr Mark Ashworth, study author from the division of health and social care research at King’s College London said: “Reducing alcohol misuse is important to prevent premature death and serious negative health effects, such as alcoholic liver disease, which are big burden on our health system. Alcohol excess carries additional risks in the older population such as falls and confusion.”
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The research is published in BMJ Open.