Jenny Kelsall (AIVL) reports on AIVL's research into the experience of older injecting opiod users in Australia. She identifies the harm-reduction policies, including needle-and-syringe programs, as contributing to the 'unexpected' improved life-expectancy of people who inject drugs. This presentation was given at the AFAO Positive Services Forum 2012.

1. Older Opioid Users + Stigma
AFAO Positive Services Forum
March 19-20 2012
Melbourne
Jenny Kelsall
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2. Double Jeopardy –
Older Injecting Opioid Users in Australia
The process:
 Informal discussions among AIVL members
 Establishment of steering committee to oversee
development of discussion paper
 Involvement of AIVL staff & peer consultants as
well as researchers and clinicians
 Examination of several national data bases to
establish existence of an ageing cohort of IDUs
 Literature review - few published studies in the
literature
 AIVL Study of Older Opioid Injectors 2010
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3. Double Jeopardy –
Older Injecting Opioid Users in Australia
Findings (1):
 Clear evidence of large & growing
number of older opioid users in Australia &
the changing demographic of illicit drug users
 Decreased number of participants in younger
age categories
 Harder to quantify or calculate how
many older opioid injectors in Australia
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4. Double Jeopardy –
Older Injecting Opioid Users in Australia
Findings (2):
 There could be as many as 30,000 regular
opioid users in Australia aged 40 years
or more & up to 80,000 non-dependent
opioid users
 The trend towards ageing in Australian surveys
is supported by international research
 A number of different theories are put forward
to explain the trend towards ageing
among injecting opioid users
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5. Double Jeopardy –
Older Injecting Opioid Users in Australia
AIVL Study of Older Opioid Injectors 2010:
 Key themes included:
Stigma & Discrimination
 Health Issues
 Pain management
 Pharmacotherapy
 Hepatitis C and other BBVs
 Financial Issues
 Housing
 Family
 Employment
 Social isolation
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6. Double Jeopardy –
Older Injecting Opioid Users in Australia
‘The morning he died (from hep C related
liver failure) we were pleading with the
nurses to give him some morphine. They
wanted to wait another 30 minutes. When
I asked why, they answered ‘because it’s
not good for his liver ! Ten minutes later . .
. . . . he slipped off into the ether’.
G. McGuckin (2010) So long Soldier. User’s News No. 60: 15
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7. Double Jeopardy –
Older Injecting Opioid Users in Australia
AIVL Study of Older Opioid Injectors 2010 (3):
 The majority of respondents raised
issues relating to:
Poverty
 Unstable housing
 Social isolation
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8. AIVL’s Anti-Discrimination Campaign
 Stage 1: AIVL contracts a Market Research Company to undertake
consultations with key stakeholders and the general community, including
healthcare providers
 Stage 2: AIVL conducts a comprehensive review of the literature and
publishes a report to understand the history of stigma and discrimination
towards PWID – ‘Why wouldn’t I discriminate against all of them?’
 Stage 3: AIVL is about to launch a short film to address stigma and
discrimination towards people who inject drugs – for use in training
sessions with healthcare providers
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9. AIVL’s Anti-Discrimination Campaign (2)
WHY WOULDN’T I
DISCRIMINATE AGAINST
ALL OF THEM?
A Report on
Stigma and
Discrimination
towards the
Injecting
Drug User
Community
AUSTR A L I A N I N J E C T I N G A N D I L L I C I T D R U G U S E R S L E AG U E JUNE 2011
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