USA: THE UNACKNOWLEDGED PROBLEM OF OLDER GERIATRIC DRUG ADDICTS MEANS THAT THEY HAVE LITTLE MEDICAL OR SOCIAL SUPPORT

Record ID: 977146

  • Title: USA: THE UNACKNOWLEDGED PROBLEM OF OLDER GERIATRIC DRUG ADDICTS MEANS THAT THEY HAVE LITTLE MEDICAL OR SOCIAL SUPPORT
  • Date: 27th March 2000
  • Summary: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (RECENT) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. LEON BATSON PREPARING TO SMOKE CRACK 2. BATSON SMOKING 3. BATSON WALKING IN CENTRAL PARK 4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) LEON BATSON SAYING "My situation was bad so I wanted something to lift me up to be able to cope with my situation." 5. BATSON IN THE PARK 6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) DAN MCGILL, PUBLIC INFORMATION SPOKESMAN FOR NEW YORK STATE OFFICE FOR ALCOHOLISM AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE SAYING "People are living longer and these tend to be individuals with a more varied experience in terms of culture and experimentation with drugs and other kinds of lifestyles and things of that nature so there are more people that are getting older and there are more people that have a history of experimenting with altering their conscience if you will." 6. LUIZ SUAREZ MEETING WITH HIS DAUGHTER, NILSA COLON 7. (SOUNDBITE) (English) SUAREZ SAYING "I'm 72 years old and I've got a few days left. I want to be at peace because I used to sell drugs to maintain my habit but I ain't going to do that no more, no." 8. COLON CRYING 9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) NILSA COLON (MR. SUAREZ'S DAUGHTER) "He was away I mean completely away, we used to say damn you know like whatever happened to Luiz is he still alive or dead?" 10. EXTERIOR ODYSSEY HOUSE IN HARLEM 11. SUREZ MEETING ANTHONY DEGAGLIA 12. DR PETER PROVET, PRESIDENT OF ODYSSEY HOUSE 13. (SOUNDBITE) (English) DOCTOR PROVET SAYING "I think there is a degree of denial in the public that this problem exists. We don't like to think about our seniors, our parents, even our grandparents as drug abusers. It's something I think when we really look at it is fairly painful and therefore I sense a tendency in the public not to really focus on this issue. It is though a real issue and when you look at intergenerational drug use of mothers and in this case grandparents often passing on to their children lifestyles that revolve around drug use it becomes a very real issue." 14. DEGAGLIA TALKING WITH COUNSELOR AT ODYSSEY HOUSE 15. (SOUNDBITE) (English) DEGAGLIA SAYING "Well let me say this, my addiction is like 50 years, how do you change 50 years. I ate through it, I slept with it I had sex with it...it was part of my life you know sincerely, I didn't know how to do without it to be frank with you." 16. DEGAGLIA LAUGHING IN CORRIDOR 17. WOMEN IN THE PROGRAM 18. EMANUELA BOOKMAN TALKING TO OTHER WOMEN 19. (SOUNDBITE) (English) BOOKMAN SAYING "But once you get over 50 it's kind of hard to hustle out there because you can be out there selling drugs and what not, but when the police come you can't run as fast as you used to be able to try to get away from them. OK and when the takeoff kids come you can't get away from them or fight them for your drugs because they're going to hurt you either they're going to kill you to get your money and your drugs or they're going to hurt you. So once you get over 50 it's time to give it all up. It's time to give up and try take a good look at yourself." 20. BOOKMAN WITH WOMEN 21. DEGAGLIA TALKING TO SUAREZ 22. (SOUNDBITE) (English) DR. PROVET SAYING "It's more difficult for them to really do an inventory of their lives, come to terms with some of the pain they've experienced and they've caused. Idon't think it's harder for them though to stop their abuse if anything it may in some ways be easier because they're so fed up, they've been through so many years of pain and torment and family trouble that they've finally come once they've hit a program like Odyssey House to a place where they feel like they can helped." 23. BATSON IN PARK PREPARING CRACK 24. (SOUNDBITE) (English) BATSON SAYING "Well I'm gonna try and go into a program that suits me I'm looking for one now and see what happens from there." 25. BOOKMAN WITH OTHER WOMEN 26. BATSON IN PARK 27. BATSON WALKING IN PARK Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 10th April 2000 13:00
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  • Location: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
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  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVA9RUPY8A4GD1OFSC7KEIYM0C35
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  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS - SOURCE TO BE VERIFIED
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