It is normal for older people to feel depressed a good part of the time. It is common for older people to talk about potential suicide. Depression among the elderly can be effectively treated with medication. Medications usually reduce the effects of alcohol in older persons. In older people, the central nervous system is usually very sensitive to the depressant effect of alcohol.
Older people are more likely than younger adults to admit to having an alcohol problem.
A person must want to stop drinking before he or she can be helped to stop. The same amount of alcohol usually has a greater effect on older adults than on younger adults. Performance of adults on tests measuring vocabulary and general information improves with age. Age in itself does little to affect an individual's power to learn. With advancing age the lens loses its elasticity and cannot focus readily.