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The most common forms of elderly addiction are
alcoholism and painkiller dependency.
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It's not something you often hear about, but the elderly of
America are increasingly at risk of becoming addicts [1]. Our notion of seniors doesn't tend to
fit with our viewpoint of addicts - I'm willing to bet that you raised an
eyebrow at the first sentence - but the problem exists nonetheless, and is
growing. The most common forms of addiction are alcoholism and
painkiller dependency - both of which can be just as devastating for seniors
as younger people.
Stereotypes
Stereotypes can be a major obstacle in all areas of drug
rehabilitation [2], but it's particularly relevant when it comes to seniors. Typically
seniors aren’t what is pictured when we think about addicts. In fact, if asked
to describe the stereotypical antithesis of an addict, a nice old lady is
probably what you'd come up with. This kind of attitude frequently leads people
to miss the warning signs of a growing substance dependency. It may even lead them to unwittingly encourage
substance-abusing behaviors.
"Oh go on, Granny, have another glass of wine!" Well meaning people often encourage addictive
behavior with the belief that they are not likely to be adding to an existing
problem or it can’t do their elderly loved one any real harm anyway. There is
also a prevailing belief that seniors should be allowed to indulge their taste
for alcohol, or pop an extra pain pill if they want to. The general attitude is
that the elderly are old enough to have 'earned it’. There is also the misconception that the
elderly are too old for an addiction to really damage to their lives.
For seniors themselves, there is an attitude that they don't have
to worry too much about their bodies any longer, so indulging a bit really
won’t hurt them. Relying on a former
self-image of living a sober lifestyle may cause some Elderly to miss the signs
that an addiction has taken hold. The
belief that they are not the kind of people who abuse substances makes it all
the easier to 'let themselves go'[3].
Loneliness and Boredom
As we age, many of us may find ourselves more isolated than we
used to be. Too many seniors find themselves living excruciatingly lonely
lives. Loneliness is incredibly bad for
anyone's mental health, but it can be especially damaging to an older person
who may need human stimulation to keep their mental faculties active. Coupled
with grief, which often affects seniors as they lose friends and loved ones,
the recipe for a slide into depression-related addiction is a potent one.
Loneliness has been proven to have a strong association with alcoholism in many
studies [4] - particularly when, as is often the case with retirees who live
alone, it is coupled with an excess of free time and boredom. Grief and
depression may also trigger comfort drinking, or encourage a growing reliance
upon the emotional numbing effects of opioid painkillers.
Opportunity
Older people are a lot more likely to be on medication than
younger people, which unfortunately gives them a lot more opportunity to become
addicted to prescription drugs. Prescription drug addiction is an enormous
problem within the United States, taking more lives on an annual basis than
heroin and cocaine combined. Many of the painkillers prescribed to our seniors
are opioids, just like heroin, or benzodiazepines, which affect the central
nervous system. They're powerfully addictive, and a vast swathe of our
population is currently in the grip of prescription drug dependency, to which
many lose their lives [5].
Most addicts stumble accidentally into addiction, assuming that
pills given to them by a doctor can't be bad.
The often get hooked by upping their doses by increments in order to
help them 'get by' on 'bad days'. In the case of seniors with cognitive
impairment, a dependency can be developed by forgetting having taken the
medication and accidentally repeating dosages. Alternatively, even non-addictive prescription medication can interact poorly with alcohol, thus contributing to
other dependency issues. And the fact that the symptoms of addiction often
mimic symptoms which we generally associate with old age [6] and its related illnesses means that
often these addictions are not recognized until it is too late.
What Can We Do?
So how can we help our ageing loved ones to steer clear of the
addiction trap? If you have concerns about an elderly loved one's inclination towards
addictive substances, keeping an eye on worrying behaviors is the best way to
confirm any suspicions. One excellent way to help is to remove the burden of
loneliness, boredom, and grief by providing emotional support, visiting
regularly, and providing them with plenty of human stimulation. Keeping an eye on drinking habits and any
medicines they're taking is also a good idea. Taking an interest in their
health and emotional state can work wonders in preventing a problem from
developing!
A home health Caregiver can also be an enormous boon in this
situation. Not only will a medically trained Caregiver keep track of what your
loved one is taking and when, they'll also be on hand to pick up on any
worrying symptoms and trends within their lives.
Addictions can ruin a person's golden years - but good health,
both physical and mental, will make the elder years a time of joy.
Mel Higham is a writer and editor
with a special interest in mental health and wellness. As
a guest writer for HomeAid Health Care’s Elder Topics, Mel brings her expertise
to our audience.
HomeAid
is sister company to Prairie Home Assisted Living which has served the
physical, spiritual, mental and health needs of their residents since 1999.
Together the two companies provide comprehensive care for the elderly in the
Fox Valley area of Wisconsin
[4] Igemar Akerland,
Jan Olof Hornquist, "Loneliness and alcohol abuse: A review of evidences of an
interplay", Journal of Social
Sciences and Medicine, Feb 1992
[5] Centers For
Disease Control And Prevention, "Injury Prevention And Control:
Prescription Drug Overdose"
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