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

Introduction

Who Can Use This Information

This program is for professionals working with older adults or in the substance abuse field, including:

Continuing education credits are available from the National Association of Social Workers and the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing. It is important to check State requirements regarding continuing education and licensing. To receive credits, you must take a quiz on the last page of each module.

What the Course Contains

  1. Module 1: Overview discusses issues related substance use and misuse among older adults. It describes why the problem goes unrecognized.
  2. Module 2: Recognizing Alcohol Misuse and Abuse in Older Adults discusses recommended drinking limits for older adults, patterns of drinking among older adults and trends in use, and reasons alcohol problems are difficult to diagnose in older adults.
  3. Module 3: Alcohol and Aging describes the effects of alcohol on behavior and on various bodily systems and organs.
  4. Module 4: Diagnosing Alcohol Problems in Older Adults describes various screening techniques and tools and how to conduct more indepth assessments of alcohol problems in older adults. Examples of different tools and instruments are included.
  5. Module 5: Recognizing Other Forms of Substance Abuse discusses other substances older people misuse, such as nicotine and psychoactive drugs. It describes how to recognize, prevent, and reduce medication misuse among older adults.
  6. Module 6: Prevention and Early Intervention Strategies describes different prevention and early intervention techniques, such as information dissemination. It also describes aspects of effective prevention programs and promising practices for older adults.
  7. Module 7: Treatment describes where to locate treatment, barriers to effective treatment, guidelines for treating older adults, and what types of treatment are available.
  8. Module 8: Outcomes and Cost Issues in Alcohol Treatment for Older Adults presents the results of various studies and methods for measuring outcomes. It also discusses how to determine the cost-benefit of prevention and treatment programs.
  9. Module 9: Legal and Ethical Issues discusses important issues such as autonomy, confidentiality, referrals to treatment, and cooperation with the legal system.

Supplements provide more detailed information about various topics such as prevention and treatment strategies. They also include screening and assessment instruments and other tools, case studies, exercises, and regulations.

Resources list books, pamphlets, videos, organizations, and Web sites.

Summary

Alcohol and medication misuse can have serious effects, particularly on older adults. Recognizing and treating these problems can give older adults more productive and healthier lives. Preventing misuse through education can preserve and extend lives.

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