For older adults trying to overcome an alcohol or substance abuse problem, it’s never too late at Queens Hospital Center (QHC).
Ten years ago, QHC’s Chemical Dependency Services started the program It’s Never Too Late (INTL) as a place for adults 55-and-over to seek help during the recovery process. Although most participants are older than 55, there are some who are younger but still “fit well” into the group, according to INTL Director Richard Koffler.
Since its start in 1999, INTL has had close to 700 individuals go through its program, which meets three times a week. INTL offers individual, group and family counseling.
Those who participate in INTL find the surroundings more comfortable than being in a group with younger individuals.
“There’s a generation discrepancy,” said Jimmy Kelley, a 54-year-old who came to INTL more than a year ago.
Kelley said that since the members of INTL are from the same era, they better relate to one another. Dennis Spencer, 59, also noted that they do not have anything in common with younger participants.
Bobby McLoud, a 61-year-old veteran who graduated from the program, said that he felt more comfortable speaking in the older age group, adding that the participants understand each other.
Another difference that members mentioned was that many younger program goers are mandated to be there, whereas the older individuals tend to be there voluntarily.
INTL participants also said that they found some of the younger people to be disrespectful, so by being in a group with people their own age they do not have to deal with it.
During a recent INTL meeting, members said that the program helped give them a new lease on life and got them on the right track. They also spoke about how the INTL staff never gave up on them and genuinely cared about their well-being.
“The staff in this place is just amazing,” one person said during the meeting, adding that whenever they need help it is there.
Another person said, “This place is a wonderful place to be. I don’t have to walk this journey alone.”
The INTL group has developed a visible bond, with members greeting the group with “good morning family.”
“We take care of each other,” said Monica Karali who, at age 45, is the youngest member of the group. “We’re brothers and sisters.”
Doug Barnhill described INTL as the “best program.”
“I hope this place will be here for a long time,” the 59-year-old graduate of the program said.
Koffler said, “It’s Never Too Late is meant to suggest that there is hope of successful treatment for chemical dependency no matter how old you are; it is a program that has become a beacon of hope for a unique patient population: alcoholics and addicts who have suffered in silence because they are older or elderly.”
For more information on INTL, call 718-883-2750.
