Applying Geriatric Principles to Hazardous Drinking in Older Adults

2022 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 145-158
Author(s):  
Miriam B. Rodin
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Hazardous Drinking

scholarly journals Validation of the AUDIT and AUDIT-C for Hazardous Drinking in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (17) ◽  
pp. 9266
Author(s):  
Yannic van Gils ◽  
Erik Franck ◽  
Eva Dierckx ◽  
Sebastiaan P. J. van Alphen ◽  
John B. Saunders ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Sensitivity And Specificity ◽  
Roc Curves ◽  
Hazardous Drinking ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Operating Characteristics ◽  
Identification Test ◽  
Alcohol Behavior ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults ◽  
Older Men And Women

Background: One of the best-known tools in screening for hazardous drinking is the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and its abbreviated form, the AUDIT-C. The aim of the present study is to determine the cut-offs of both instruments in identifying hazardous drinking in older adults. Method: A sample of 1577 older adults completed a questionnaire regarding alcohol behavior. Hazardous drinking was defined as drinking >10 units/week. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves of AUDIT and AUDIT-C were calculated and cut-off scores were derived. Results: Respectively 27.3% and 12.3% of older men and women drank >10 units/week. For the AUDIT the best trade-off between sensitivity and specificity was using a cut-off of ≥5 for men and ≥4 for women, which yielded in men sensitivity and specificity values respectively of 80.7% and 81.3% and in women 100% and 71.7%, respectively. We found the AUDIT-C to perform well with an optimal cut-off of ≥5 for men and ≥4 for women, which generated in men sensitivity and specificity values respectively of 76.5% and 85.3% and in women 100% and 74.1%, respectively. Conclusion: The AUDIT-C is accurate and sufficient in screening for hazardous drinking in community-dwelling older adults if the cut-offs are tailored by gender.

scholarly journals PREVALENCE AND CHARACTERISTICS ASSOCIATED WITH ALCOHOL USE AND ALCOHOL RELATED PROBLEMS IN COMMUNITY DWELLING OLDER ADULTS

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Y. van Gils ◽  
E. Franck ◽  
S.J.P. van Alphen ◽  
E. Dierckx
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Binge Drinking ◽  
Associated Factors ◽  
Alcohol Problems ◽  
Hazardous Drinking ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults ◽  
Alcohol Related Problems

Objective: This study examine the prevalence, characteristics and associated factors of alcohol use and alcohol related problems among Belgian community dwelling older adults. Design: Retrospective cross-sectional study by extensive examination survey. Setting: The participants were questioned in their homes or in community centres. Participants: Overall, 1,366 adults ≥65 years participated in this study. Method: Information about self-reported alcohol use during the past year, Health Related Quality of Life (HRQL) and alcohol related problems was gathered with respectively the AUDIT, SF36 and MAST-G. Results: Of the total sample, 84.4% reported alcohol consumption. Using the NIAAA guidelines, the overall prevalence for at risk drinking was 26.6% and for binge drinking 14.8%, both risky alcohol patterns. Logistic regression analyses were performed on the drinking sample to determine the predictors associated with at risk drinking, binge drinking and hazardous drinking. Being male, a smoker of former smoker and living alone were associated with at risk drinking. Being male, being aged 65-74 years, being a smoker, reporting polypharmacy, MCS and having recent loss experience were associated with binge drinking. More than 25% of respondents were classified as hazardous drinking (score ≥5 on MAST-G). Associated factors with hazardous drinking were being male, having a family history of alcohol problems, PCS and MCS. Conclusions: The prevalence rates for at risk alcohol patterns and alcohol related problems were higher than in previous studies. As older adults are more vulnerable to the adverse consequences of alcohol use, awareness about alcohol use should be raised among older adults, as well as amongst health care givers and researchers.

The Role of Psychological Distress in the Relationship between Drinking Motives and Hazardous Drinking in Older Adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-41
Author(s):  
Yannic van Gils ◽  
Erik Franck ◽  
Eva Dierckx ◽  
Sebastiaan P.J. van Alphen ◽  
Geert Dom
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Hazardous Drinking ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Drinking Motives ◽  
Drinking Behaviour ◽  
Hazardous Alcohol Use ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Hazardous Alcohol

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Drinking motives seem to be the most proximal predictors of alcohol outcomes. Consequently, these are an essential factor to consider as they may influence the extent to which alcohol is used in a risky way, even in older adults. <b><i>Objective:</i></b> We studied the moderating effect of distress on the relationship between drinking motives and drinking behaviour in a community-dwelling older adult sample. <b><i>Method:</i></b> In a retrospective cross-sectional research study, participants were community-dwelling older adults aged 65 years and older. All respondents completed a questionnaire covering the Drinking Motives Questionnaire (DMQ), the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), and the General Severity Index (GSI) of the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). <b><i>Results:</i></b> In this sample of 1,148 older adults, drinking motives and hazardous alcohol use were associated (enhancement motives <i>r</i> = 0.478, <i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001; coping motives <i>r</i> = 0.367, <i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001; and social motives <i>r</i> = 0.235, <i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001). Furthermore, moderation analysis showed that older adults drinking predominantly for enhancement or coping motives (respectively, β = 0.433, CI [95%] = 2.557–3.222 and β = 0.327, CI [95%] = 1.077–1.491, <i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001), and older adults who had higher levels of psychological distress (β = 2.518, CI [95%] = 2.017–3.019, <i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001) were more likely to report higher degree of hazardous alcohol use. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> The relations between coping drinking motives and enhancement drinking motives on hazardous drinking depended on the level of distress. The associations between drinking for coping and drinking for enhancement were stronger in high levels of distress. Although causality cannot be interpreted from cross-sectional data, tackling psychological distress and drinking to cope with negative affect or to enhance positive affect might have strong effects on reducing hazardous drinking behaviour among older adults.

Correlates of Physical Activity Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults With Hazardous Drinking Habits in Six Low- and Middle-Income Countries

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 589-598 ◽  
Author(s):  
Davy Vancampfort ◽  
Brendon Stubbs ◽  
Mats Hallgren ◽  
Andreas Lundin ◽  
James Mugisha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Hazardous Drinking ◽  
Urban Setting ◽  
World Health ◽  
Drinking Patterns ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Low And Middle Income

We investigated physical activity (PA) correlates among middle-aged and older adults (aged ≥50 years) with hazardous drinking patterns in six low- and middle-income countries. Cross-sectional data were analyzed from the World Health Organization’s Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health. Hazardous drinking was defined as consuming >7 (females) or >14 (males) standard drinks per week. Participants were dichotomized into low (i.e., not meeting 150 min of moderate PA/week) and moderate–high physically active groups. Associations between PA and a range of correlates were examined using multivariable logistic regressions. The prevalence of low PA in 1,835 hazardous drinkers (60.5 ± 13.1 years; 87.9% males) was 16.2% (95% confidence interval [13.9%, 18.9%]). Older age, living in an urban setting, being unemployed, depression, underweight, obesity, asthma, visual impairment, poor self-rated health, and higher levels of disability were identified as significant PA correlates. The current data provide important guidance for future interventions to assist older hazardous drinkers to engage in regular PA.

Cognitive control constrains memory attributions

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colleen M. Kelley ◽  
Larry L. Jacoby
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Brain Injury ◽  
Cognitive Control

Abstract Cognitive control constrains retrieval processing and so restricts what comes to mind as input to the attribution system. We review evidence that older adults, patients with Alzheimer's disease, and people with traumatic brain injury exert less cognitive control during retrieval, and so are susceptible to memory misattributions in the form of dramatic levels of false remembering.

Cognitive Load Affects Speech Motor Performance Differently in Older and Younger Adults

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
pp. 1258-1277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan K. MacPherson
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Motor Performance ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Incongruent Condition ◽  
Sentence Production ◽  
Movement Duration ◽  
Production Task ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Speech Motor

PurposeThe aim of this study was to determine the impact of cognitive load imposed by a speech production task on the speech motor performance of healthy older and younger adults. Response inhibition, selective attention, and working memory were the primary cognitive processes of interest.MethodTwelve healthy older and 12 healthy younger adults produced multiple repetitions of 4 sentences containing an embedded Stroop task in 2 cognitive load conditions: congruent and incongruent. The incongruent condition, which required participants to suppress orthographic information to say the font colors in which color words were written, represented an increase in cognitive load relative to the congruent condition in which word text and font color matched. Kinematic measures of articulatory coordination variability and movement duration as well as a behavioral measure of sentence production accuracy were compared between groups and conditions and across 3 sentence segments (pre-, during-, and post-Stroop).ResultsIncreased cognitive load in the incongruent condition was associated with increased articulatory coordination variability and movement duration, compared to the congruent Stroop condition, for both age groups. Overall, the effect of increased cognitive load was greater for older adults than younger adults and was greatest in the portion of the sentence in which cognitive load was manipulated (during-Stroop), followed by the pre-Stroop segment. Sentence production accuracy was reduced for older adults in the incongruent condition.ConclusionsIncreased cognitive load involving response inhibition, selective attention, and working memory processes within a speech production task disrupted both the stability and timing with which speech was produced by both age groups. Older adults' speech motor performance may have been more affected due to age-related changes in cognitive and motoric functions that result in altered motor cognition.

Effects of Aging on the Subcortical Encoding of Stop Consonants

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 391-403
Author(s):  
Dania Rishiq ◽  
Ashley Harkrider ◽  
Cary Springer ◽  
Mark Hedrick
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Mixed Model ◽  
Auditory Brainstem ◽  
Auditory Brainstem Responses ◽  
Aging Effects ◽  
Formant Frequency ◽  
Place Of Articulation ◽  
Second Formant ◽  
Effects Of Aging

Purpose The main purpose of this study was to evaluate aging effects on the predominantly subcortical (brainstem) encoding of the second-formant frequency transition, an essential acoustic cue for perceiving place of articulation. Method Synthetic consonant–vowel syllables varying in second-formant onset frequency (i.e., /ba/, /da/, and /ga/ stimuli) were used to elicit speech-evoked auditory brainstem responses (speech-ABRs) in 16 young adults ( M age = 21 years) and 11 older adults ( M age = 59 years). Repeated-measures mixed-model analyses of variance were performed on the latencies and amplitudes of the speech-ABR peaks. Fixed factors were phoneme (repeated measures on three levels: /b/ vs. /d/ vs. /g/) and age (two levels: young vs. older). Results Speech-ABR differences were observed between the two groups (young vs. older adults). Specifically, older listeners showed generalized amplitude reductions for onset and major peaks. Significant Phoneme × Group interactions were not observed. Conclusions Results showed aging effects in speech-ABR amplitudes that may reflect diminished subcortical encoding of consonants in older listeners. These aging effects were not phoneme dependent as observed using the statistical methods of this study.

Partner-Specific Communication Deficits in Individuals With Alzheimer's Disease

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Eun Jin Paek ◽  
Si On Yoon
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Referential Communication ◽  
Sorting Task ◽  
Audience Design ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Communication Task ◽  
Design Skills ◽  
Referential Expressions

Purpose Speakers adjust referential expressions to the listeners' knowledge while communicating, a phenomenon called “audience design.” While individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD) show difficulties in discourse production, it is unclear whether they exhibit preserved partner-specific audience design. The current study examined if individuals with AD demonstrate partner-specific audience design skills. Method Ten adults with mild-to-moderate AD and 12 healthy older adults performed a referential communication task with two experimenters (E1 and E2). At first, E1 and participants completed an image-sorting task, allowing them to establish shared labels. Then, during testing, both experimenters were present in the room, and participants described images to either E1 or E2 (randomly alternating). Analyses focused on the number of words participants used to describe each image and whether they reused shared labels. Results During testing, participants in both groups produced shorter descriptions when describing familiar images versus new images, demonstrating their ability to learn novel knowledge. When they described familiar images, healthy older adults modified their expressions depending on the current partner's knowledge, producing shorter expressions and more established labels for the knowledgeable partner (E1) versus the naïve partner (E2), but individuals with AD were less likely to do so. Conclusions The current study revealed that both individuals with AD and the control participants were able to acquire novel knowledge, but individuals with AD tended not to flexibly adjust expressions depending on the partner's knowledge state. Conversational inefficiency and difficulties observed in AD may, in part, stem from disrupted audience design skills.

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