Addiction Most Recent
MD, FRCPC, FACP, AGSF
The day before writing this editorial, we assessed an older woman in memory clinic whose function seemed well preserved despite her complaints of memory impairment.
The number of older adults who drink to excess is not known, partly because primary health practitioners seldom screen for this problem.
Most practitioners assume that the use of illegal or “street” drugs is confined to the young. However, a recent phenomenon has been the use of such drugs by individuals above the age of 50.
Though older adults are the segment of the population least likely to smoke, they incur significant morbidity and mortality from tobacco use and can benefit from quitting.
Sleep complaints by older adults constitute a very common situation faced by health care providers.
Addiction often results from using controlled (monitored by the Drug Enforcement Agency) or illicit substances to produce pleasure or to dissociate from the consequences of life’s events.
