Quality of life whilst ageing in opioid agonist treatment: a narrative analysis

Norway has an increasing number of ageing opioid agonist treatment (OAT) patients, with 44% of the 8200 Norwegian OAT patients over 50 in 2023.

This study examines the narratives of ageing OAT patients through semi-structured interviews with twelve patients who had been in OAT for 10-20+ years. We used narrative analysis to understand what they experience as important in enhancing or diminishing their quality of life as they age.

Positive relationships, treatment, and stable housing were narrated as enhancing quality of life, while loneliness and isolation, memory problems, comorbidities, and victimization were narrated as diminishing it.

Patients experience OAT as both lifesaving as well as potentially limiting their life-quality, illustrating the inbuilt dilemmas of OAT. The study suggests an age-informed treatment model and identifies three thematic implications for practice and further research (on memory issues, victimisation and network-building).