The Rising Crisis of Addiction in Older Populations and What Help is Available

Not all addicts look like party animals out until 2am. Some of them are simply quiet grandmas and grandpas who let their occasional drinks or prescription drugs get out of hand. Now they are stuck in addiction without the resources they need to get out of it. While younger generations might find help through technology and apps, the older generations don’t have the same understanding of how to leverage these tools to get help. This leaves them isolated, lonely, and even more prone to addiction and all the harmful effects that come with it.

Rehab Centers That Understand How to Help Senior Populations

There are rehab centers with trained professionals who know how to care for people in their later years. It’s important to look for a drug or alcohol detox for seniors who have the credentials to care for aging populations. There are medical considerations that need to be evaluated when caring for someone older. Because the body metabolizes drugs and alcohol differently, detoxing has to be done very carefully so that body systems like the liver and kidneys are not overloaded.

Older adults are also more likely to have multiple medical conditions that they are already taking medication for. This can increase the risk of drug interactions. This means that seniors should be closely monitored by trained medical teams while they are detoxing.

Identifying Triggers for Relapse

In general, stress, emotional distress, mental health issues, and even a person’s surroundings can be triggers for relapse. As people age, their triggers could be anything from declining health to the loss of a spouse or loved one to simple loneliness. Aging is hard, and the older people get, the more likely they are to lose friends and family. This can create a lot of emotional pain that some older people use substances to escape from.

Identifying triggers is important because it means that people can take ownership of how they will respond when these triggers hit. In aging populations this might mean expanding access to community resources like transportation, for example, especially for shut-ins who have no way to get around on their own. This can improve access to senior centers and other social environments where they can experience connection and community, which are important aspects of sobriety.

Addiction is Often Overlooked

As people age, addiction often gets missed or even misdiagnosed as dementia or depression. While depression can co-occur with addiction, they are two distinct disorders. Seniors also face a higher rate of bias in the medical system when it comes to issues like addiction. Some professionals don’t even screen older adults because of their age.

Families might also ignore concerning behaviors and brush them off as simply their loved one getting older. And when seniors have physical injuries like falls, for example, it’s common for no one to question what the root cause is and if that cause is drugs or alcohol.

It’s important to know the signs of addiction in seniors. Withdrawal from social circles, slurred words, and more frequent accidents can be indicative of substance use. Getting them help can be challenging due to generational stigma, but many are receptive with the right approach. Being kind, gentle, and understanding can make a huge difference.

Failure of Rehab Models to Meet the Needs of Seniors

Many rehab models and facilities are designed with younger patients in mind. This means that even if a senior heads to a rehab facility, they might feel out of place instead of connected and supported. Group therapy sessions may not address their needs and concerns and they may have physical limitations that make it harder to participate.

Finding a rehab center that offers services adapted to older populations is essential. This can look like slowing down the pace, speaking more slowly, and listening to concerns. It might mean finding similarly aged volunteers and workers who can provide peer-based support and help. It may even help to have reading materials in paper form instead of online, and available in larger print if needed.  

Substance use in people over 65 is growing at a faster rate than ever before. More and more seniors are finding themselves stuck in drug or alcohol addiction with fewer and fewer resources geared toward helping them get sober. It’s important to find rehab centers with adaptable materials and environments that can better meet the needs of aging populations, this can give them the help they deserve to continue living a full and vibrant life.

---