Addiction Elderly

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Addiction and the Elderly Ellis Simpson Addiction and the Elderly Substance abuse and Alcoholism do not discriminate, they use equal opportunity to spread their destruction, these are two of the most consistent contributors to the breakdown of the family structure in this country. The face of Substance abuse and Alcoholism is not nearly as consistent as the problem itself and much of this paper will look into that, and more specifically, some of the ways in which the elderly have become victims of this issue. Let us also not forget those that have been affected indirectly but affected nonetheless by this issue, the mothers, fathers, children, and society as a whole. The roots of this problem can be traced back to ancient civilization…show more content…
With the many different problems and challenges that the elderly are facing today, along with the practice of excluding the elderly from the rest of society, it is no wonder that they are having alcohol and substance abuse issues. The issue of alcoholism and substance abuse is also allowing us a view of a society that has placed a lot of importance on “the quick fix”, some things take time, effort, and sacrifice and to employ any other method is to send an invitation to mayhem. The seniors of today are suffering as a result there being too many that are unwilling to make the unselfish sacrifices necessary to address this issue, our seniors are indeed at risk. Older adults also face the risk of misusing over-the-counter and prescription medications, the most frequent form of substance abuse problems among the elderly, and combined difficulties with alcohol and medication misuse may affect up to 19 percent of older Americans (Bartels, Blow, Brockmann, & Van Citters,…show more content…
We all affect each other and our seniors contribute greatly to our society, we must do more to help them as they navigate the transitions that take them from mid-life to late-life. Transitions and role losses in old age greatly affect the vulnerability of the elderly adult, typical transitional difficulties include relocation, employers’ ageist attitudes towards older workers, terminal illness, sexuality, widowhood, grief, loneliness, depression, isolation, and chronic health problems (Parrott 111,
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