Alcohol Use May Worsen in Nursing Homes
N E W O R L E A N S, May 17 -- Ten to 20 percent of the people in nursinghomes are problem drinkers — and the number of addicts is likely torise sharply as the baby boom turns to a nursing home boom.
"Today's elderly grew up in a period when alcohol wasprohibited. It shaped their values," said Frederic Blow, directorof the Veterans Affairs' Serious Mental Illness Treatment, Researchand Evaluation Center in Ann Arbor, Mich. By 2030, one in five people will be more than 65 years old.
Different Attitudes on Alcohol, Drugs
"Baby boomers are more likely to have used illegal drugs. Theygrew up in a different atmosphere of alcohol use," said Blow, alsoan associate professor and senior research scientist in theUniversity of Michigan's psychiatry department. They have a different attitude to drugs' ability to fix problems— and in how to tell when someone's having a problem with drugs, he said. It's anyone's guess what to expect, Blow said at the first jointconference of the American Society on Aging and the NationalCouncil on the Aging, held earlier this year in New Orleans. "Older people with an alcohol problem are more likely to end upin health-care settings," he said.
Enfeebled Alcoholics
Although alcoholism is a serious problem for 5 percent orless of the general public, alcoholics make up 10 percent to 15percent of those in hospitals or other primary care, 10 percent to20 percent of those in nursing homes, and 5 percent to 10 percentof those in community mental health centers, Blow said. Nursing home patients get their booze from families and staff."The patients may be able to walk out and buy it themselves,"Blow added. Another problem emerges as people age and even healthy bodiesbecome less tolerant of alcohol. Many ailments associated with agemake alcohol actively dangerous, and medicines for other diseasescan react badly with alcohol. For someone with an ulcer, hepatitis, very frequent heartburn orpancreatitis, anything more than one drink a month is hazardous,according to a recent report in the Journal of the American Boardof Family Practice.
