Yet even those people who are concerned about chemical dependency in an older adult often feel helpless to intervene, Egan noted. And, too often, families and friends, as well as physicians, deny a chemical dependency problem even exists by dismissing symptoms as regular signs of aging. Who Has a Problem with Alcohol or Medications. To assist physicians and other health providers in diagnosing and treating substance abuse in the elderly, Hazelden publishes a set of facilitator guides and patient workbooks to be used in private practices as well as rehabilitation settings. She also coproduced, with the American Association of Retired Persons, two 30-minute videos, one for patients and one for clinicians, available through Hazelden.
Scholarships are available.
Thomas L. Purcell, M.D., an internist in private practice and medical director of Hanley-Hazelden Center, said chemically dependent older adults need special treatment. Hanley-Hazelden, which has treated about 1,000 older adults, separates them from younger chemically dependent persons. There's often a lot of cognitive impairment that takes time, abstinence and slow pacing to improve. Older adults also need the company of and reassurance from their age-specific peers. Older adults who are chemically dependent also experience much more denial and shame than do younger persons, added Egan.