Gina Dormer The Norfolk and Norwich Association for the Blind Drugs and Alcohol Gina Dormer The Norfolk and Norwich Association for the Blind

Introduction About the speaker….. Presentation Case study Questions/discussion

Potted history Psychology/counselling Health promotion: Smoking Young people Sex/HIV/AIDS Crime and disorder Addiction

Norfolk and Norwich Association for the Blind AIMS To support individuals and their families/carers affected by sight loss To provide accommodation and care and community based support, education, activities and recreational facilities To be ambitious and relevant The NNAB was founded by Thomas Tawell in 1805 as the Norwich Institute for the Blind It is still on the same ground which it was founded on The Queen became the Association’s patron in 1955 and the charity changed to its present name in 1988 To help Blind and Partially sighted people in Norfolk by providing accommodation and care, a community visiting service, education and recreational facilities. Thomas Tawell House – 36 en-suite rooms Hammond court, 20 flats and sheltered housing The community workers – Support and advice service Norwich, West Norfolk, Gt. Yarmouth and Cromer Equipment Centres Mobile Equipment Centre – Smaller market towns Eye Clinic information service Bradbury Activity Centre Educational classes, Braille & craft Sports and leisure activities such as sailing, walking, tandem, bowling, holidays, theatre & heritage groups, and much more

Sight loss and substance use literature review Wide and varied Degrees of linkage Chicken and egg? Qualitative research by Pocklington Trust, Manchester University and University of Wales The NNAB was founded by Thomas Tawell in 1805 as the Norwich Institute for the Blind It is still on the same ground which it was founded on The Queen became the Association’s patron in 1955 and the charity changed to its present name in 1988 To help Blind and Partially sighted people in Norfolk by providing accommodation and care, a community visiting service, education and recreational facilities. Thomas Tawell House – 36 en-suite rooms Hammond court, 20 flats and sheltered housing The community workers – Support and advice service Norwich, West Norfolk, Gt. Yarmouth and Cromer Equipment Centres Mobile Equipment Centre – Smaller market towns Eye Clinic information service Bradbury Activity Centre Educational classes, Braille & craft Sports and leisure activities such as sailing, walking, tandem, bowling, holidays, theatre & heritage groups, and much more

Headlines Definitions: substance abuse/misuse vs substance use Definition of substances: as broad as smoking/alcohol/illicit drugs/prescribed drugs 3 main relationships between sight loss and substance use. Substance use as: A cause of sight loss A contribution to sight loss A coping mechanism for sight loss

Headlines……. Substance use may be a risk factor for sight loss or visual impairment, particularly when combined with other factors such as smoking and poor nutrition Some prescribed medications being used to manage other health conditions (eg, epilepsy, bipolar depression) may also contribute to sight loss People with sight loss may be exposed to higher risk of substance use and misuse, for example, living with chronic pain, stigma, social isolation and boredom, that may accompany sight loss

Recommendations A need to make information about substance misuse and sight loss available in accessible formats Training for all professionals involved in assessing, identifying and responding to both sight loss and substance misuse Longitudinal studies and more focus on under 50s needed

Personal perspective Substance misuse services to ensure staff, volunteers and service users are sight awareness trained Acknowledgement that some medications used in medicalised detoxes may contribute to sight impairment/sight loss People in active addition ordinarily do not prioritise wider health issues and may not make logical lifestyle choices. Holistic approach is therefore critical Greater awareness of interactions and impact of smoking, alcohol, drug use amongst health professionals and those more generally working within the addiction field

Case Study - characteristics and learning points Doormat Munch Multiple and complex needs – mental health, learning disability, sight loss, forensic history Risk assessment and risk management plan Holistic person-centred approach – package of care – multi-agency/multi-disciplinary People do not come into services neatly packaged!

End of Presentation Thank you Questions?