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substance abuse - increases The number of older adults admitted to substance-abuse treatment facilities has more than doubled since 1992 By Betty Klinck, The number of older adults admitted to substance-abuse treatment facilities has more than doubled since 1992, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The organization's latest Treatment Episode Data Set report, released Thursday, shows that the number of patients ages 50 and older has increased from about 102,700 in 1992 to 231,170 in 2008. The report notes demographic shifts that suggest these patients are less economically stable: • Unemployment rose from 19.4% in 1992 to 31% in 2008. • Homelessness increased from 15.9% in 1992 to 19.5% in 2008. • Patients reporting having no principal source of income increased from 11% in 1992 to 28.8% in 2008. These older substance-abuse patients may also be dealing with loneliness, the report suggests. • The percentage of patients who were married decreased from 33.3% in 1992 to 21.5% in 2008. • The percentage of those never having been married increased from 13.2% in 1992 to 30.3% in 2008. Peter Delany, an expert in substance abuse and director of the substance abuse organization's Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, says many of the shifts reflect overall national demographic changes. "What we have is a group of older people who have fewer resources socially, fewer fiscal resources, and have less employability," he says. "The impact on treatment is that these people are probably going to need a little more support in wraparound services, including helping them get employed, getting them a source of reliable income, helping them get stable living situations." Gregory Stuart, professor of psychology at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and an expert in substance misuse, says the decreased stigma attached to treatment for substance abuse also may have influenced the statistics. |
