Alcohol-abuse and alcoholism among the elderly is perceived as a national epidemic among health care workers, social workers, and the mental health community in the United States. This dissertation examines the literature on geriatric alcohol-abuse and alcoholism, focusing on three main aspects of the complex health issue: 1) The complexity of geriatric alcohol-abuse and alcoholism compounded by underdetection and undertreatment among the population; 2) The deleterious physiological and psychological effects that result among the elderly from alcohol-abuse and alcoholism; 3) The impact of alcohol-abuse and alcoholism among the elderly when it comes to family members and health care workers. A conclusion will address some of the means and methods of trying to reduce the complexities of alcohol-abuse and alcoholism among the elderly in an effort to increase the level of detection and treatment among the population.
Chapter One: Introduction …………………………………………………………………3
Chapter Two: Review of Literature………………………………………………6
Chapter Three: Effects & Impact…………………………………………………21
Chapter Four: Conclusion……………………………………………………………………31
References……………………………………………………………………………………………………………34
Traditionally, alcohol-abuse and alcoholism is considered to be lower among the elderly population than the young. Various studies and surveys support this contention, like the Alcohol Research Group which found that “Women in their sixties have one-35th the likelihood of abusing alcohol as women in their twenties” (Peele, 1998, A19). However, because of the increasing numbers of elderly, the increasing age to which people are living, and the advent of technology which helps cure for...