Alcohol abuse puts 35,000 West Midlands OAPs in hospital

Mar 6 2009 by Jonathan Walker, Birmingham Post

More than 90 pensioners are hospitalised due to alcohol in the West Midlands every day, the Department of Health has revealed.

The figures prompted warnings that a focus on binge-drinking by teenagers was hiding a growing problem affecting the older people.

Official figures show that 35,128 people aged 65 or over were admitted to West Midlands hospitals with alcohol-related conditions, which can range from heart disease to mental illness or injuries caused by a fall.

This is up from 15,642 four years ago, meaning the number has almost doubled.

The figures were published in response to questioning by the Liberal Democrats, who claimed the increase was down to a failure to fund alcohol treatment services sufficiently.