Local paramedics continue to raise concerns about the effects of alcohol after new data emerged suggesting older people’s drinking habits needed to be reined in.
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New analysis of Ambulance Victoria data has found rates of alcohol-related ambulance call-outs have gone up both in metropolitan and rural Victoria.
The rise was not confined to younger people. Researchers from alcohol and drug centre Turning Point and Ambulance Victoria concluded rates had increased for all age groups and genders.
In fact, the most striking trend appeared to be an increase in the number of middle aged and older people between 2011 and 2016.
Among regional Victorian men aged 50-59 years-of-age call outs almost doubled to 550 people per 100,000.
It was a similar story for regional men aged 40-49 years, with 627 call outs per 100,000, compared to 350 call outs five years ago.
Intoxicated regional women needing an ambulance also increased, especially among those aged 70-79 and 50-59.
Study authors recommended a more targeted approach to reducing harmful alcohol abuse in those over 40 years-of-age.
“Importantly, given these groups are a large and growing cohort, demand is likely to increase with implications for service planning and use,” they concluded.
The study did not break statistics down to local areas.
In Kangaroo Flat, Ambulance Victoria team manager Brett Adie said he had not personally noticed an increase in the numbers of call-outs for intoxicated older patients.
While he was not sure what to make of the statistics, Mr Adie said paramedics regularly attended alcohol-related incidents.
He said older people may have been less likely to get into fights but they were more likely to trip and injure themselves when drunk.
Mr Adie labelled alcohol the biggest cause of substance abuse call-outs across the sate.
He was especially concerned about the safety of his staff, saying they were increasingly likely to become the targets of alcohol-fulled violence.
He said it could be hard for paramedics who were, for example, attending a party on the job when “everyone was an expert and wanted to put their two bob in.”
“If people around them are doing their bit to protect paramedics in that situation it would help us,” he said.
Tom O'Callaghan
I grew up in Bendigo and I want to tell your stories.
I grew up in Bendigo and I want to tell your stories.
