Carol Colleran

Every year at the Aging in America Conference, the American Society on Aging presents its Hall of Fame award. Endowed by The Atlantic Philanthropies, the award honors an individual age 65 or older who has, through lifetime advocacy and leadership, enhanced the lives of older adults. Receiving the award for 2009 is Carol Colleran, executive vice president of public policy and national affairs at the Hanley Center in West Palm Beach, Fla.

A pioneer in addiction treatment for older adults, Colleran is a coauthor of the definitive guidebook in the field, Aging and Addiction: Helping Older Adults Overcome Alcohol of Medication Dependence (2002). Her work throughout her long career as an addiction-treatment professional has resulted in positive changes in attitudes, policy and services. In the following interview, she offers thoughts on the development of her work, on the field of aging and on the value of ASA.

What concerns have motivated you throughout your career in aging -- and how have these developed or changed over time?

Concern about the lack of appropriate age-specific addiction services for people ages 55 and older started this whole new venture for me. When I first developed the Center for Older Adult Recovery at Hanley Center, I had it planned for those 65 and older. The patients themselves who were ages 55-65 started asking to be part of it since their life experiences were more similar to the older population than to a younger one.

Where is your work currently focused -- and why?

My work continues with our current older adults, but I am now also working on development of a program that takes into consideration the merging of boomers into our older adult population. The boomers have two distinct subgroups, and we must look at the values and beliefs of each in order to appropriately treat them while continuing to treat the current older adult population, as well. I could discuss this for hours. I will be addressing this during my session at the Aging in America Conference. (See sidebar for details.)

How can the field of aging respond to the current economic crisis?

The coming few years are going to be a serious challenge for our field, as well as for all other areas in general. We will have to work smarter and meet the financial challenges facing us. It is going to be quite an interesting and maybe exciting ride!

How can the field of aging respond to policy directions under the new administration?

We must become very active in Washington and work with other organizations to get better inroads in Washington.

How has your involvement as an ASA member been valuable to your work over the years?

ASA has been extremely instrumental in getting out the message of aging and addiction. I respect the ethics of this organization and the willingness to look at change and to help this country move towards better treatment in all areas. I have always worked closely with ASA and NCOA and plan on continuing to do this in all of the coming years!

Photo: Courtesy Hanley Center

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