Promote Healthy Aging in Finland

Since our late update, we have continued emphasizing the human dignity of aged people struggling with substance abuse.

Three new peer support groups have been founded in Turku, Finland and eleven new instructors (social and health care professionals) have been trained to lead the support groups in Helsinki, Finland. There are now 11 groups in Helsinki (southern Finland), two in Rauma (western Finland) and three in Turku (southwesterly Finland). In the peer support groups the members have breakfast together, they tell each other how everybody’s doing, share thoughts and memories and usually the instructors have also planned some activity to carry out in the group: for example a quiz, music, games, memory exercises, handicrafts and so on. The group gets together once a week and it gives its members routine, meaning and social contacts in their life that so often is very lonely.

 We have recently published a new leaflet about aging, alcohol and drugs in plain language: http://www.ikaantyneidenpaihdetyo.fi/files/8814/4779/1933/Ikaantyminen_ja_paihteet_selkoesite.pdf

The leaflet is for the elderly, their families and social and health care professionals. We want to awaken people to consider the unexpected consequences and symptoms that can occur when using alcohol and drugs simultaneously. As people get older they will become intoxicated more easily due to physiological changes, above all to dehydration, decrease in body water content.

We look forward to year 2016 as we continue spreading information about aging and substances and the peer support group action wider in Finland.

 A warm thank you to the donors!