CONTENTS

Table of Contents
Introduction

1. Overview
2. Recognizing Alcohol Misuse and Abuse in Older Adults
3. Alcohol and Aging
4. Diagnosing Alcohol Problems in Older Adults
5. Recognizing Other Forms of Substance Abuse
6. Prevention and Early Intervention Strategies
7. Treatment
8. Outcomes and Cost Issues in Alcohol Treatment for Older Adults
9. Legal and Ethical Issues

Supplements
Resources

At Any Age, It Does Matter:
Substance Abuse and Older Adults (for Professionals)

Program Flexibility

The goals, setting, and duration of treatment may differ for each client. The first step toward ending problem drinking or drug use may involve finding safe, affordable housing for one client, resolving depression for a second, and improving relationships with a caregiving daughter for a third. Elements of treatment, such as work assignments or exercise programs, will need to be tailored for individual patients.

Examples of program flexibility include the following:

• It may be necessary to stop treatment when a patient is ill or in the hospital.
• Providers may need to adjust schedules to accommodate the fatigue levels of older clients.
• The treatment setting may need to shift from clinic to home during a period of convalescence from an injury or illness.
• The number of sessions may vary. One client may need twice as many treatment sessions to master steps toward self-sufficiency as another client.
• The timeframe of treatment may vary. One individual may need to continue treatment for 2 years to meet the goals another client reaches in 6 months.

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