lly expected, confusional states, Alzheimer's disease, dental problems, and substance abuse problems.
There are, in addition to the foregoing, a number of conditions that are particularly relevant for the older female population. The fist of these relates to sexuality. According to Cohen (1990), any change in sexual interest or capacity could be symptomatic of a number of problems including: drug side effects, metabolic and neurologic problems (e.g. diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, malnutrition, Parkinson's disease); or psychopathological conditions, especially those related to depression and anxiety.
It is the latter conditions which are particularly relevant for the older female living alone. According to Papalia and Olds (1992), older women living alone are especially vulnerable to depression or anxiety disorders, and frequently they will attempt to handle these feelings by over-medicating themselves (e.g., excessive use of tranquilizers) and/or by excessive intake of alcohol. Therefore such conditions should be looked for in any conducted assessment of the older female living alone.
A more complete picture of alcohol and drug use among older women is provided by Gomberg (1995) who reports that the rate of alcohol abuse is actually falling in the population of older women, but that the use of prescribed psychoactive drugs is increasing. Regard
...