ABSTRACT
As the number of older adults in the world's population is increasing, alcohol and drug use (including medication dependence) in older age groups is becoming an increasingly important issue. Substance misuse can have devastating consequences for older adults including premature death, physical and mental health problems, self-neglect and withdrawal from family and friends. Older adults experiencing alcohol problems are more likely to be agitated, irritable and disinhibited and this has been shown to increase distress in caregivers. Some older adults have misused substances throughout their lives, often with periods of reduction, cessation and abstinence followed by cycles of relapse or escalation in consumption. Since discrimination of both older adults and people who misuse substances is commonplace, older adults with substance misuse problems are often doubly discriminated against. Age discrimination in substance misuse may occur at any point from screening, to referral for treatment, to delivery of substance misuse services.
