Essay on Substance Abuse and the Elderly

Unfortunately, elderly populations seem to be far more displaced in our society than most of us are aware. Concerns of who or how they will be cared for when they can no longer care for themselves properly are always highly stressed, but drug abuse and misuse are

As well as using multiple physicians, elderly clients may use more than one pharmacy. Each pharmacy attempting oversight of the client’s medication use may not be aware of all the medications prescribed.

Substance abuse in the elderly exists just as in any other population. Many seniors develop substance abuse problems due to circumstances or situations due to the aging process. A report by the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment/Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration indicates that 17% of adults age 60 and older are affected by alcohol abuse and abuse of legal drugs.

Optimizing drug therapy is an essential part of caring for an older person. The process of prescribing a medication is complex and includes: deciding that a drug is indicated, choosing the best drug, determining a dose and schedule appropriate for the patient's physiologic status, monitoring for effectiveness and toxicity, educating the patient about expected side effects, and indications for seeking consultation. Multiple factors contribute to the appropriateness and overall quality of drug prescribing. These include avoidance of inappropriate medications, appropriate use of indicated medications, monitoring for side effects and drug levels, avoidance of drug-drug interactions, and involvement of the patient and integration of patient values.

One of the first lines of defense in helping the elderly who are struggling with substance abuse is assisting them in recognizing there is a problem and correctly screening for substance abuse (Han et al., 2009). This primary role of the physician is essential to the treatment of the older patient’s medical needs. The medical community plays an important role in the lives of older people. Physicians prescribe the medications which a person might possibly abuse. It is the responsibility of the physician to identify and address a patient’s possible problems with substance abuse.

As a result, an increasing number of seniors (who may already be suffering from physical and mental health problems and who may be on a fixed budget) are becoming addicted to the medicines that were supposed to help them. Addiction to prescription medication is an often poorly understood problem and one that can quickly tear a person 's life and health to shreds.

Many sociological studies fail to provide an accurate picture of substance abuse in a society for a number of reasons. In treatment or survey interviews, substance abusing individuals frequently misrepresent or misreport their frequency of use. Those living in poverty are often more transient in their housing than those of middle and upper classes and may, therefore, be excluded from many types of household surveys. Often, statistical information is gathered from treatment facilities; however facilities do not all report into a national database and a large number of addicts never seek services. One final problem with the validity of studies involving substance abuse and poverty is the isolation, in many studies, of one or more drugs. Many researchers have focused on drugs, such as crack-cocaine or heroin and not marijuana or powder cocaine (Jacobson and Ensminger, 2011). While it is difficult to obtain valid data on the actual rate and incidence of substance abuse in poverty ridden communities, researchers have been able to isolate some negative effects of substance abuse and correlate them to socio-economic status.

We have witnessed enormous advances in western medicine and with it we’ve seen greater longevity among America’s elder population. The number of Americans age 65 or older are living longer, in more comfort and in better health than ever before. However, not all American elders are living in good health. As our aging baby boomers live longer, a substantial and growing percentage of older adults misuse alcohol, prescription drugs, or other substances (Bartel, Blow, Brockmann, 2005). In turn, substance abuse among the elder is generating major health concerns and a rapid need for prevention methods. Substance abuse among the elderly is a concealed epidemic in the United States. Alcohol and substance abuse often go unnoticed, unreported, and therefore, untreated in the elderly (Wagenaar, Mickus, & Wilson, 2001). It is estimated that substance abuse issues among America’s elder population will dramatically increase, because while the nation’s population will increase 18%, the proportion of the population 65 and older will increase 78% by the year 2030 (Johnson & Sung, 2009).

As established by experts in the field, prescription drug abuse by older adults is known presently to be worsening in intensity. The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, in a publication on their website entitled “Seniors and Drugs,” identifies the

Alcohol and prescription medication abuse among those aged 60 years and older is a growing epidemic (Alpert, 2014). Approximately 2.5 million older adults have a substance abuse disorder (Alpert, 2014). The numbers of those affected are rising and it is projected to double by 2020 (Alpert, 2014). Alcohol abuse among the older adult population is a heterogeneous problem that occurs over a broad socioeconomic spectrum. Moderate alcohol and drug consumption may have a profound impact because of the physiological and pharmacologic changes that are associated with aging (Alpert, 2014).

Falstein who is an elderly patient that was prescribed two different benzodiazepines by the same doctor. Polypharmacy is one of the major risk factors for drug-drug interactions and adverse reactions associated with medication use. Yet the article states that the “use of the drugs has risen among older people, even though they are particularly vulnerable to the drugs’ ill effects.” This does not come as a surprise when considering the pharmacy curriculum and how medical professionals are taught to approach patient care (and the assumed similar physician curriculum). The current pharmacy curriculum promotes the use of disease state guidelines that map out which medications to prescribe and when. Pre-conventional pharmacists and physicians will strictly follow the guidelines and the pattern of prescribing more medications when more problems arise in a patient. The course I mentioned earlier, geriatric pharmacotherapy, was the one of the only courses that stressed the importance of de-prescribing and when de-prescribing should be considered in elderly patients. This course was an elective not required by the college leaving a majority of student without special instruction on the geriatric

Consuming alcoholic beverages affects almost every cell, organ, and tissue in the body. This is especially true for seniors who are especially vulnerable to its toxic effects. It is common for elderly people to have impaired immunity and metabolism. Alcohol abuse is more likely to create new health problems or aggravate some of the health conditions that they already have (Nadkarni, Acosta, Rodriguez, Prince, & Ferri, 2011). Older people may not realize that their current pattern of heavy drinking may be detrimental or dangerous because even low levels of alcohol consumption can cause a potential health risk especially in elderly people (Nadkarni, Acosta, Rodriguez, Prince, & Ferri, 2011). Also, alcohol abuse can be complicated when seniors take prescription and over-the-counter medications which when combined can frequently result in major adverse reactions. Ulcers, malnutrition, diabetes, nephron loss, osteoarthritis and loss of bone density, obesity, and nutritional deficiencies are just a few of the physical effects of alcohol abuse in older people (Dawoodi & De Sousa, 2012). Alcohol abuse by elderly individuals for 5 years or more increases the risk of having psychiatric problems such as dementia, excluding Alzheimer’s disease (Nadkarni, Acosta, Rodriguez, Prince, & Ferri, 2011). But, the most common health problem associated with alcoholism is liver toxicity which occurs when the liver is no longer able to metabolize ethanol (Dawoodi & De Sousa, 2012). Alcohol abuse

Substance abuse and addiction have become a social problem that afflicts millions of individuals and disrupts the lives of their families and friends. Just one example reveals the extent of the problem: in the United States each year, more women and men die of smoking related lung cancer than of colon, breast and prostate cancers combined (Kola & Kruszynski, 2010). In addition to the personal impact of so much illness and early death, there are dire social costs: huge expenses for medical and social services; millions of hours lost in the workplace; elevated rates of crime associated with illicit drugs; and scores of children who are damaged by their parents’ substance abuse behavior (Lee, 2010). This paper will look at

In today's modern society alcohol addiction and alcohol abuse has become one of the most complex, life-threatening issues. Most depressed individuals usually indulge themselves in bars or pubs with their alcohols to escape from their stressful life. It has become increasingly alarming how alcohol does not only attract the adults, but also teenagers these days. "Research has shown that approximately 14 million Americans (7.4%) of the population meet the diagnostic criteria for alcohol abuse or alcoholism" ("Facts about Alcohol"). Alcohol addicts may encounter social impact such as loss of respect from others who may see the problem as self- inflictive and easily avoided. Repeated use of alcohol over a period of time can result in

Substance abuse is one of the most detrimental social problems found in all societies. It has been the leading cause for generational breakdowns of families and communities, and is probably the most controversial social problem when developing corrective solutions. Substance abuse can be defined as the chemical dependence, or pattern of usage of both legal and illegal substances, that has adverse physical, psychological, and psychomotor effects on the human body. The use of substances does not always have to be a drug, but can also be anything taken into the body that can cause a mood-altering effect, such as inhalants or solvents. Additionally, substance abuse has many different faces and is the one social problem that crosses all