Recovery is often viewed as something achieved and maintained over time. However, this perspective overlooks an important reality: the conditions that support recovery change.
The concept of recovery capital helps explain this.
Recovery capital refers to the resources that support long-term stability—relationships, financial security, health, and access to services. These resources are not fixed. They evolve as individuals move through different stages of life.
In older adulthood, these changes can be significant.
Social networks may shrink due to loss or reduced mobility. Financial resources may become more limited. Health challenges may increase. Each of these changes can affect stability, even for individuals with decades of recovery.
Yet service systems have not fully adapted to these shifts.
Aging services tend to focus on physical needs, while behavioral health systems focus on treatment. The intersection—long-term recovery in later life—remains largely unaddressed.
Understanding recovery as a dynamic process highlights the need for systems that evolve alongside individuals.
Because recovery is not just something that is achieved.
It is something that must be supported—across the lifespan.
Read full article: Recovery Capital Across the Lifespan: Reframing Stability in Later Life and Implications for Aging in Recovery
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