Funded by Healthway and delivered by Injury Matters, the Older Adults Preventing Harm from Alcohol and Other Drugs Among Older Adults Pilot Project sought to increase the knowledge, skills and confidence of WA allied health professionals to identify and support older adults at risk of harm from alcohol and other drug use.
Alcohol and other drug use in older adults is a growing concern in Australia due to the increased vulnerability to the effects of alcohol and other drugs, stemming from physiological differences and comorbidities. Exposure to alcohol and other drugs in older adults is found to substantially increase the likelihood of experiencing falls, injuries and cognitive decline. However, a significant proportion of older Australians continue to drink at risky levels, with adults aged 50 or older drinking more regularly than any other age group.
The role of allied health professionals can remove the need for medical interventions, provide treatment, and support the acquisition of skills, recovery, and enablement. In response to this opportunity, the Older Adults Preventing Harm from Alcohol and Other Drugs Among Older Adults Pilot Project was developed.
In February 2025, expert facilitators Associate Professor Robert Ali AO and Professor Steve Allsop delivered four workshops to provide allied health professional attendees with an overview of substance use disorders, the foundations of screening and brief intervention, and introduced the ASSIST-Lite for Older People screening tool, including how to administer it with clients and how to respond to the results. The project also included a Train-the-Trainer workshop and a three-month follow-up session. Alongside the pilot project, an Older Adults Alcohol resource was produced and distributed.
At the completion of this pilot project, qualitative feedback demonstrated the strong interest by WA allied health professionals to learn more about how they can support older adults at risk of harm from alcohol and other drugs and identified demand for the integration of the ASSIST-Lite screening tool in WA health services. The below infographic outlines some of the key findings of this pilot project.
Injury Matters would like to thank Healthway, the Expert Advisory Group and everyone involved in making the pilot project a success.