Elderly Substance Abuse

Substance Abuse Among the Elderly
Substance abuse is widely recognized as one of the most serious social, ethical, and legal problems of the modern day, but few people realize how serious this issue affects the elderly population of the United States. Substance abuse is generally considered to be a problem of early adulthood, however, the truth is that substance abuse impacts older Americans on a large scale, and must be addressed through a multifaceted approach in which nurses play a key role. This essay summarizes the issues of substance abuse in the elderly population, and sets forth a number of potential solutions.
Theory
Among the rapidly aging US population, people are living longer and abusing drugs and alcohol at such a rate that substance
As a result, most drug treatment literature and public service announcements are aimed towards young people; meaning that elderly people facing addiction are effectively excluded from outreach attempts (Benshoff, Harrawood, & Koch, 2003). This issue is made worse by stereotypes regarding elderly people, such as the idea that they cannot change their behavior late in life or that they might as well enjoy themselves. Additionally, substance abuse in the elderly is often mistaken for other age-related problems like dementia or depression, which may go unnoticed (Benshoff, Harrawood, & Koch, 2003). Older people drive less and leave their homes more rarely than other age groups, and are less likely to be arrested for drug-related crimes. Finally, despite making up only 12% of the population, older adults are more likely to have health problems, and thus consume up to 30% of the nation’s prescription drugs, many of them psychoactive and potentially addictive (Benshoff, Harrawood, & Koch, 2003). These contributing factors must be carefully considered as health care professionals attempt to map out effective ways of addressing this
Adequate solutions to this issue must begin with education. The contributing factors to substance abuse among the elderly, mentioned above, should be included as part of the foundational education of health care professionals, and awareness can also be raised by other means; such as, a social marketing campaign or public service announcements. This education-based first-step will provide an important foundation for communicating this issue to the public and our future health care workers. Another aspect of the educational solution is raising awareness among the public, especially nurses, about the two major categories into which elderly substance abuse falls: early onset (or chronic) abuse, and late onset (or situational) abuse (Benshoff, Harrawood, & Koch, 2003). Naturally, these two groups require different drug abuse interventions if treatment is to be successful. Situational abuse, or late-onset substance abuse, for example, is likely to be related to an instance of traumatic loss (death of a loved one, retirement, changing living arrangements), and should be approached with appropriate counseling as well as medicinal and other treatments (Benshoff, Harrawood, & Koch, 2003). Through improved knowledge of the major contributing factors and categories of elderly substance abuse, nurses can tailor their interventions in a more effective