Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2018 Feb;34(1):117-129.
doi: 10.1016/j.cger.2017.08.005. Epub 2017 Oct 7.

Prevention and Screening of Unhealthy Substance Use by Older Adults

Benjamin H Han  1 , Alison A Moore  2
Affiliations
Review

Prevention and Screening of Unhealthy Substance Use by Older Adults

Benjamin H Han et al. Clin Geriatr Med. 2018 Feb.

Abstract

The number of older adults who engage in unhealthy substance use is expected to increase substantially to levels never seen before. Older adults, owing to physiologic changes in aging, are at high risk for the adverse effects of alcohol and illegal drug use. Screening and prevention can help older patients to be better informed of the risks of substance use, and reduce high-risk behaviors and its potential negative outcomes. The authors review the prevalence and trends of substance use and their potential impact on health outcomes, and discuss an approach to screening and prevention for older adults.

Keywords: Assessment tools; Older adults; Prevention; Screening tools; Substance use.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Moore AA, Kuerbis A, Dattoma L, Kaufman A. Reichel’s care of the elderly: Clinical aspects of aging. 7th. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press; 2016. Unhealthy substance use in older adults; pp. 285–297.
    1. Blazer DG, Wu L. The epidemiology of substance use and disorders among middle aged and elderly community adults: national survey on drug use and health. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2009;17:237–45. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kuerbis A, Sacco P, Blazer D, Moore AA. Substance abuse among older adults. Clin Geriatr Med. 2014;30:629–54. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Moore AA, Karno MP, Grella CE, Lin JC, Warda U, Liao DH, et al. Alcohol, tobacco, and nonmedical drug use in older U.S. adults: data from the 2001/02 National Epidemiologic Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2009;57:2275–81. - PMC - PubMed
    1. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Drinking Levels Defined. 2016 Available at: https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/mo.... Accessed May 5, 2017.