Family and Friends
This Relationship role is often the first to notice warning signs of alcohol misuse in an elderly loved one
Who is a spouse or primary caregiver
This living situation increasingly common after age 70 removes daily social contact and is a top risk factor for problematic drinking
What is living alone/ social isolation?
Born between 1946 and 1964, this generation is currently the largest aging cohort and shows the highest rates of substance use among adults over 65
Who are Baby Boomers
Due to age-related changes in body composition, less water, slow metabolism in elderly adults reach dangerous blood alcohol levels on this compared to younger adults.
What is less alcohol, fewer drinks
Pensioners and low-income elderly adults in Trinidad can access detox support, counselling, and outpatient substance use treatment at this cost through public health facilities
What is Free at no cost
These types of social gatherings can serve as a hidden trigger for increased drinking in older adults
What are family gatherings or holiday events
This major life transition, typically around age 65, strips away daily structure, identity, and peer connection, all fueling increased substance use
What is retirement
This 13-year period in American history ending in 1933 shaped the silent generation's deeply conflicted attitudes towards
What is prohibition (1920 - 1933)
Heavy long-term alcohol use in seniors especially damages this organ, which also becomes less efficient with age
What is the liver
These public health systems provide free access to mental health and substance use services
What are Regional Health Authorities?
This painful life event, such as losing a partner of 40 years, is one of the strongest predictors of late-onset alcohol use disorder in seniors
What is grief or bereavement (losing a spouse)
Seniors living in this type of residential setting may have less supervision and easier access to alcohol from visitors or personal stockpiles
What is an assisted living facility or residential care home
This generational mindset -" what happens at home stays at home" causes many older adults to hide substance use and avoid seeking help
What is stigma or a culture of silence and privacy around addiction
Mixing alcohol with the class of commonly prescribed drugs, including valium and Xanax, dramatically increases fall and overdose risk in other adults
What is benzodiazepines (sedatives/sleep medication)
This government program under the Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of Health is to go to the agency for substance abuse counselling, prevention, and referral services for all ages
What is NADAPP
When family members cover up make excuses for or clean up after a senior's drinking, they are engaging in this behavior.
What is enabling
This environmental barrier such as no car no bus route or living in a rural county, makes is significantly harder for seniors to access treatment
What is geographic isolation or lack of transportation
Unlike the generations before them, Baby Boomers came of age during this decade's counterculture, normalizing recreational drug and alcohol use
What is the 1960s or the counterculture movement?
This type of injury , the leading cause of injury death in adults over 65 becomes far more likely when alcohol or sedatives are involved
What is falls (leading to factors, head injuries)
This psychiatric hospital in Port of Spain is one of the few facilities where elderly adults in Trinidad can receive assessment and treatment for substance use disorders
What is St Anns Psychiatric Hospital
Roughly this fraction of elderly individuals with alcohol use disorder developed the problem later in life, often triggered by retirement or loss of a loved one
What is one-third
Research shows that seniors in neighborhoods with this characteristic or a high density of liquor per capita drink more on average.
What is high alcohol outlet density
Studies show that compared to the silent generation baby boomers are significantly more likely to combine alcohol with this category of substances
What is prescription medication or cannabis marijuana
This widely used 4-question clinical screening tool, whose acronym stands for cut, annoyed, guilt, eye opener, is used to identify alcohol problems in elderly patients
What is the CAGE questionnaire
Studies show that when given age-appropriate support, elderly adults respond this way to substance use treatment compared to younger people, giving families every reason for hope.
what is "as well as or better"