Outcome of alcoholism in old age

2001 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 125-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Old Age ◽  
Alcohol Misuse ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Psychiatric Morbidity ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Alcohol Problems ◽  
Drinking Behaviour ◽  
Alcohol Dependent ◽  
Current Alcohol

AbstractObjective:This retrospective study describes the follow-up of a birth cohort of alcohol dependent patients as they enter old age. The aim is to define the global outcome of survivors by combining a measure of current drinking behaviour with ratings for depression and dementia.Methods:A series of 100 referrals to a regional unit for alcohol misuse in Bristol, England, were followed up at a mean of 13 years after first referral for treatment. Survivors were traced when they were aged between 67 and 77 years. At follow-up interview, subjects were screened for current alcohol problems, depression and dementia.Results:The mortality rate in the cohort was raised significantly. Almost one third of survivors had depressive symptoms at follow-up and rates of global dementia were higher than expected in an aged-matched sample of the general population. However, the majority of survivors were classified as having an intermediate global outcome with less than 10% having a poor outcome.Conclusions:The high rates of mortality and psychiatric morbidity observed in this cohort illustrate the importance of detecting alcohol problems in the elderly. Further prospective studies are necessary to validate these findings in a community sample of older people.

Alcohol Problems Among Residents in Old Age Homes in the City of Mannheim, Germany

1999 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 825-830 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siegfried Weyerer ◽  
Martina Schäufele ◽  
Andreas Zimber
Keyword(s):  
Alcohol Abuse ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Primary Care Physicians ◽  
Alcohol Problems ◽  
Risk Of Falling ◽  
Medical Diagnoses ◽  
Assessment Sheet ◽  
The City ◽  
Current Alcohol ◽  
Old Age Homes

Objective: This study aims to determine the prevalence of alcohol problems among residents in old age homes, its demographic and clinical features, and its association with the risk of falling. Method: All residents (n = 1922) living in 20 randomly selected residential and nursing homes in the city of Mannheim, Germany, were included. Based on routine documentation, details of their sociodemographic features, medical diagnoses made upon admission, and current medication were compiled. The home staff filled out for each resident a standardised assessment sheet on activities of daily living-impairment (Barthel Index), behaviour problems, alcohol consumption, and frequency of falls. Results: According to the diagnoses of the primary care physicians, 7.4% of the residents had mental and behavioural disorders due to alcohol (ICD-10: F10). Rates were particularly high among men, and younger and single or divorced residents. A high percentage of those with a diagnosis of alcohol abuse/dependence (41.1%) were transferred from mental hospitals. Home staff reported current alcohol abuse/dependence among 3.4% of all residents. The risk of falling was significantly elevated (Odds ratio: 2.65; p < 0.01) among those with current alcohol problems. Conclusion: The results corroborate the findings from other studies wherein residents of old age homes constitute a group at risk of alcohol abuse and dependence. Alcohol problems were more the cause for, rather than the consequence of, home admission.

scholarly journals Comparing the Camry dynamometer to the Jamar dynamometer for use in healthy Colombian adults

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 21-29
Author(s):  
Gustavo Alfonso Díaz Muñoz ◽  
Sandra Julieth Calvera Millán
Keyword(s):  
Grip Strength ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Population Level ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Hand Grip ◽  
Hand Dynamometer ◽  
Jamar Dynamometer

Objective: Hand grip strength can provide an objective index of general upper strength, but hand dynamometer has not been validated for use in Colombia. The objective was to determine the interchangeability between Camry electronic and Jamar hydraulic hand grip dynamometers in a population found on the campus of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia and the elderly living in a community. Methods: This was a cross-sectional concordance study on 18-88-year-old males and females. Data regarding their demographics, health, and anthropometric variables were collected/measured and the Lin concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) along with Bland-Altman plots were used for evaluating concordance regarding both devices. Results: One hundred and thirty-three subjects participated in this study (average age 47±20.74 years-old). Right hand (RH) grip strength was 32.15 ± 9.96 kg with the Jamar dynamometer and 29.95 ± 9.18 kg with the Camry device. It is worth highlighting that the Jamar instrument presents higher values than the Camry instrument (p <0.05). CCC was only significant at the population level and for the 40-59-year-old age group. Bland-Altman plots had narrow limits of agreement. Conclusion: We concluded that the Camry dynamometer could replace the Jamar dynamometer in the 40-59-year-old age group; furthermore, it would be appropriate for medical use in patient monitoring or follow-up due to the close values observed.

Suicide-related bereavement and psychiatric morbidity in the elderly

2004 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ciaran S Clarke ◽  
Margo Wrigley
Keyword(s):  
Old Age ◽  
Causes Of Death ◽  
Psychiatric Morbidity ◽  
Adult Child ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Elderly Parents ◽  
National Population ◽  
Old Age Psychiatry ◽  
Clinical Profiles ◽  
Complicated Bereavement

AbstractObjectives: We sought to determine whether elderly bereaved patients attending an old-age psychiatry service were more likely to have been bereaved through suicide than through other causes.Methods: We studied the demographic and clinical profiles of all patients attending an old-age psychiatry service who had experienced the death of an adult child. We compared the causes of the deaths of their children with the most recent figures for the national population.Results: Deaths from suicide among the children of the bereaved elderly were commoner than for the age-matched national population.Conclusions: Suicide is more likely than other causes of death to lead to psychiatric morbidity in elderly parents. The needs of elderly survivors should be considered in formulating national strategies for suicide prevention. Further studies are needed on risk factors for complicated bereavement in the elderly.

Alcohol use and misuse in older adults

1999 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence Schonfeld ◽  
Larry W Dupree
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Alcohol Misuse ◽  
Specific Treatment ◽  
Alcohol Problems ◽  
Drinking Behaviour ◽  
Problem Drinkers ◽  
Medical Settings ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Screening Assessment

Alcohol misuse among older people has now been investigated for over 30 years. Schonfeld and Dupree previously described studies of alcohol use and abuse in the USA and UK, categories of older problem drinkers, age-inappropriate assessments, and examples of age-specific treatment. This review addresses more recent studies on drinking behaviour across several countries, screening assessment for older adults, alcohol problems in primary care medical settings, current age-specific treatment programmes, and treatment recommendations by expert panels, as well as in-home detoxification and use of the medication naltrexone as adjuncts to treatment.

Sexual Abuse in People with Alcohol Problems

1996 ◽  
Vol 169 (3) ◽  
pp. 355-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna Moncrieff ◽  
D. Colin Drummond ◽  
Bridget Candy ◽  
Ken Checinski ◽  
Roger Farmer
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Alcohol Dependence ◽  
Additional Data ◽  
Alcohol Misuse ◽  
Alcohol Problems ◽  
Drinking Behaviour ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
History Of ◽  
Drug Problems ◽  
Alcohol Related Problems

BackgroundThere is evidence that people with a history of sexual abuse may have an increased risk of developing alcohol and drug problems.MethodA self-completion sexual abuse questionnaire was designed and administered to a sample of attenders at three London alcohol services. Drinking behaviour was assessed using the Severity of Alcohol Dependence Questionnaire and the Alcohol Problems Questionnaire, and additional data were derived from case notes.ResultsFifty-four per cent of women and 24% of men identified themselves as victims of sexual abuse or assault. For the majority this had started before the age of 16 and involved non-relatives. Subjects with a history of sexual abuse were younger, reached drinking milestones earlier, were more likely to have a family history of alcohol misuse and had more alcohol-related problems than non-abused subjects. Sexual abuse, age and alcohol dependence predicted level of problems in a regression analysis.ConclusionsThe high rates of sexual abuse and its association with indications of increased morbidity suggest it is an important issue for the management of alcohol problems. More use could be made of self-completion questionnaires for the investigation of sexual abuse.

Otago Women's Health Survey 30-Month Follow-Up

1993 ◽  
Vol 163 (6) ◽  
pp. 739-746 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. E. Romans ◽  
V. A. Walton ◽  
B. McNoe ◽  
G. P. Herbison ◽  
P. E. Mullen
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Psychiatric Disorder ◽  
Remission Rate ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Psychiatric Morbidity ◽  
Child Rearing ◽  
Initial Assessment ◽  
Stratified Sample ◽  
Universal Relationship

The follow-up phase of a random community sample of New Zealand women contrasted the social, demographic, and clinical characteristics of those women whose initial psychiatric disorder had remitted with those who continued to describe significant psychiatric morbidity, two-and-a-half years later. Of 272 women studied at baseline and reinterviewed, 57 had originally been psychiatric cases. Twenty-five of those women (44%) were still cases at follow-up. Using figures that statistically reconstructed the original population from the stratified sample, the remission rate in the parent population was 61% over the two-and-a-half years (an average of 24% per annum). Women less likely to experience remission of their psychiatric disorder were of mid-age (45–64 years), with poor finances and with poor social relationships at the initial assessment. Although the age finding replicates a previous report from an Epidemiological Catchment Area study, it is not clear whether it is a universal relationship, true for all cultures. The alterations in social roles faced by women after child-rearing is a possible explanation, at least for New Zealand.

Alcohol Problems among Women Working in the Home: Prevalence and Predictors

1983 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 259-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Jane Chetwynd ◽  
Verna Pearson
Keyword(s):  
Problem Drinking ◽  
Leisure Activities ◽  
Heavy Drinking ◽  
Alcohol Problems ◽  
Drinking Behaviour ◽  
Life Changes ◽  
Problem Drinkers ◽  
Major Life ◽  
History Of

A sample of 655 women was contacted whilst attending general practitioners' surgeries and questioned on numerous health and social matters. Follow-up interviews were held a year later in the women's homes and information on drinking behaviour and problems with drinking obtained. Almost 15% of the sample could be classified as problem drinkers on the basis of their responses to a ‘problems with drinking’ scale. Seven major variables were identified as being associated with problem drinking amongst these women. These included familial history of heavy drinking, depression, stress level, major life changes, reported alcohol consumption, usual type of leisure activities and abuse of substances such as coffee and tobacco which can result in dependency. Likelihood of problem drinking increased substantially with the number of adverse factors reported. It was concluded that knowledge of these factors would help the general practitioner in the identification of women with alcohol problems.

Epidemiology and Psychiatric Morbidity of Suicidal Ideation Among the Elderly

Crisis ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 171-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Barnow ◽  
M Linden
Keyword(s):  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Cross Section ◽  
Clinical Judgment ◽  
Assisted Suicide ◽  
Rating Scales ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Psychiatric Morbidity ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Elderly Persons

This study investigates the epidemiology and psychiatric morbidity of the wish to be dead, suicidal ideation, and suicidal intent in a group of elderly persons (> 70 years). A representative community sample of 516 persons aged 70 to 105 was extensively investigated by psychiatrists using the structured interview GMS-A and various other self-rating and observer-rating scales. Diagnoses were made according to DSM-III-R and clinical judgment. In a cross-section of this population, we found the following prevalence rates: At the time of the study, 14.7% of the elderly community had symptoms of tiredness of life, 5.4% wished to die, and 1% showed suicidal ideation or gestures. Depending on the intensity of suicidality, 80% to 100% were clinically diagnosed as suffering from psychiatric disorders and 50-75% showed symptoms fulfilling the criteria of at least one specific psychiatric diagnosis. Further, logistic regression analysis showed a significant influence of major depression and specific DSM-III-R diagnosis on suicidality in old age. Our conclusion is that suicidal ideation in the elderly is usually a sign of a mental illness warranting diagnosis and treatment rather than assisted suicide.

Ageing in an autobiographical context

2000 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 467-483 ◽  
Author(s):  
RIITTA-LIISA HEIKKINEN
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Epidemiological Data ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Hermeneutic Circle ◽  
Data Tape

A cohort study was carried out in 1990 in Jyväskylä, central Finland among 80-year-old residents as part of the Evergreen project. A total of 262 people born in 1910 were interviewed. In addition to epidemiological data, tape-recorded narrative stories focusing on the ageing experience were collected from a subsample of 20 people (10 men and 10 women). A five-year follow-up was carried out with the same cohort in 1995. Out of the 20 people in the original subsample, 17 (8 women and 9 men) were still alive to describe their ageing experience at 85. The analysis proceeded along the hermeneutic circle in the form of dialogue, first with the elderly narrators and then with the tape-recorded material. Unlike five years previously, most of the narrators said they had now crossed the line into old age. These findings are considered in light of the concepts of ageing, bodiliness and temporality.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document