HUNDREDS of people in the 60-and-over age group are being treated for alcohol abuse across the region, it has been revealed.

In all, 551 people in the age bracket in Suffolk and Norfolk are working with Norcas, an organisation which provides services for people with drug, alcohol and gambling problems.

Meanwhile, 65 retired people were helped by the Suffolk Drug and Alcohol Action Team (DAAT) in 2009-10.

And NHS Suffolk said 6%of patients currently using its Alcohol Treatment Service were over 65 years old.

The figures follow a report by the Royal College of Psychiatrists which recommends that the advised daily alcohol limit for people in the 60-and-over age group is cut to 1.5 units.

The current advised limit is two to three units per day for women and three to four for men. It describes older people as society’s “invisible addicts” and warns that older people’s bodies are less able to process alcohol.

The report warns that current health advice stating it is safe for women to have 14 units per week and men to have 21 units per week is the result of working with younger people.

Suffolk DAAT and Norcas both believe home drinking is an issue at the root of older people having large quantities of alcohol.

Suffolk DAAT’s co-ordinator Simon Aalders said: “Like every age group, older people need to be more aware of the amount of alcohol they are consuming.”

The oldest person being treated by Suffolk DAAT was an 84-year-old woman.

“She has a long history of drinking and got caught out by the number of units she was consuming,” said Mr Aalders. “Her measures became steeper and steeper and she was surprised by the situation she ended up in. She just wasn’t aware of the amount of alcohol in her drinks.”

He added: “It’s about education – we’re not saying don’t have a drink, but we are saying don’t have a tumbler-full.”

Andrew Cleveland, operations manager of Norcas, agreed that education about the impact alcohol can have on an the body of an older person was crucial to tackle alcohol abuse within the 60-and-over age group.

He said: “There is no point in educating them in the long-term effects of alcohol abuse – they could say they have been drinking a brandy before bed for 20 years and are fine.

“But they are drinking at home and need to be reminded the measures they give themselves are not the same volume they would be given in a pub. Two brandys before bed could be six units of alcohol.”

He added: “This is a bit of a hidden problem the elderly have because there is a certain amount of stigma attached to having treatment for alcohol abuse and they don’t want to be labelled.”

Daniel Chapelle, health improvement manager for NHS Suffolk, said liver function decreased as people got older and therefore processing alcohol became more difficult.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists’ report was important because it highlighted alcohol abuse as an issue with older people.

“We must not overlook over-65s when it comes to these problems,” said Mr Chapelle.

“If they are presenting recurrent healthcare problems to us we should be asking them about the level of alcohol they are drinking. It’s easy to think harmful drinking only affects teenagers and people in their 20s.”

In addition to alcohol, drug abuse in the 60-and-over age group is also a problem and it is even more hidden than alcohol abuse.

Mr Aalders added: “There are issues with certain types of prescribed medication and over-65s.”

Fliss Gillott works with families affected by drug and alcohol abuse at the Iceni addiction rehabilitation centre in Foundation Street and while she has not noticed prolific alcohol abuse in older people, her clients have.

She said: “Young people we have referred to alcohol treatment services have come back to us and said their group was full of older people. They have said the groups are full of people in their 50s and 60s.”