Sober living

You may want to give another depression screen earlier if the client reports worsening symptoms or if the client seems to be feeling worse. If the depression screen is negative and the client has few or no symptoms of depression, you can continue screening on a yearly basis. If the client reports new symptoms or you suspect the person may be feeling depressed at any time, you should give a depression screener again. This is a discussion paper focusing on the issue of problematic substance use in the older adult population. We provide nurses and other health care providers context around this issue and strategies to provide ethical and optimal care to older adults experiencing substance use.

• Many types of evidence-based therapy are available to meet a wide range of needs.
• Bupropion, varenicline, and nicotine replacement are options for nicotine dependence.
• You can find more information about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on the CDC’s website (/violenceprevention​/childabuseandneglect​/acestudy/index.html).
• As a result, loved ones may miss the signs of substance use in their older adult loved ones, which may delay or prevent these older adults from receiving care.
• Older adults, as well as family members and caregivers, can take steps to prevent accidental drug misuse.
• A health history and physical exam for common co-occurring physical conditions that affect mental health as well as physical conditions that suggest the client has substance misuse (e.g., sleep problems, chronic pain).
• Of course, slurred speech, smelling of alcohol, and change in physical appearance are all signs that a person needs help and treatment.

Health care professionals need to continue to do as thorough of assessments as possible and enlist the help of formal measures, Web-based assessment, and build in the questions outlined earlier as routine. As the baby boom generation ages, the health care system will be challenged to provide culturally competent services to this group, as they are a unique generation of older adults. Knowledge about older-adult substance use and the issues that contribute to late onset or maintained addiction in late life will need to be continually updated as we learn how and why this generation of adults uses substances. There is a definite need for enhanced awareness by health care providers around the growing problem of substance use in the older adult population. Population predictions indicate that by 2036, approximately 25% of the Canadian population will be over the age of 65 (Statistics Canada, 2018).

Risk Factors for Substance Use Disorders in Older Adults

For instance, SBIRT that involves basic education as an intervention has been shown to help reduce older adults’ risky alcohol use.454,455 Educate clients on risky alcohol use as a prevention measure and an intervention. Boston University School of Public Health provides helpful information and resources (e.g., demonstration videos) on screening and brief intervention techniques substance abuse in older adults successfully used in primary care and emergency department settings (/bniart/sbirt-in-health-care/sbirt-brief-negotiated-interview-bni/). This section discusses examples of substance misuse screening instruments useful for older adults. Some are self-report tools (i.e., clients complete the tools themselves); a behavioral health service provider must deliver others.

Older clients may have limited vision or difficulty writing and may need help completing screens. The questions can be adapted to a specific substance, such as a prescription medication, and they can be asked either in the context of an interview or self-administered. Psychometric properties of the CAGE-AID have not been reported, yet the CAGE has been extensively studied. Because of the brief nature of the CAGE-AID, it can be a useful screening tool; but it should not be a substitute for a more thorough assessment, such as consumption levels, consequences of use, and functional deficits.

Tips For Preventing And Treating Substance Abuse Among The Older Population

“My first job as a clinician,” says Lehmann, “is to convince these patients to cut back on using.” Involving the family is critical, she adds, because a spouse or partner may also be drinking heavily and could be sharing opioids with loved ones. Experts recommend that older people have no more than seven alcoholic drinks per week. Using diagnostic decision trees made specifically https://ecosoberhouse.com/ for SUD in older clients. The CDC’s Timed Up & Go is one of the easiest ways to assess a client’s fall risk. This test measures a person’s ability to stand from a sitting position, walk a short distance (10 feet), turn around, and walk back to where the individual was sitting. Instructions for how to give the Timed Up & Go are available online (/steadi/pdf/TUG_Test-print.pdf).

• NSDUH collects data from a nationally representative sample of the U.S. civilian, noninstitutionalized population aged 12 or older.
• Addressing the social context of substance use can help nurses and other health care providers better understand the complex context of older people experiencing substance use issues.
• This process can cause uncomfortable and sometimes dangerous withdrawal symptoms, which is why many people begin their recovery with medical detoxification.
• It can also happen due to cognitive decline, which is a normal part of aging, or disregard for warning labels.