There seems to be a problem in actually diagnosing an older person with alcoholism because of the signs and symptoms that usually go along with becoming older just in general. The amount of alcohol it takes to “catch a buzz” is lower in elderly because of the aging metabolic rates. Everything slows down. Usually they stop driving, getting out of the house less often. Friends and relatives don’t visit as frequently.
Although legally available, prescription drugs can be extremely addictive and deadly. The long-term effects of prescription drug abuse, is no longer “The Hidden Epidemic”. Almost half of Americans take at least one prescription drug. Teens and young adults abuse prescription drugs for a number of reasons. Some of these reasons include family problems, depression, relationships problems, and other emotional distress.
This happens every day to people all over the world, even me, and is a topic that people need to hear and understand. When my older brother Bobby was 12 years old he was diagnosed with ADHD and prescribed heavy doses of Ritalin year round. I personally feel this was the start of his relationship with addiction. Throughout the next 25 years his addiction to drugs got worse with heavier drugs. When he was 32 he tried heroin for the first time and this was the demon that finally took his life at the age of 40.
It came back a year later that only 60% of these children that were treated were successful, while the rest failed, but it is stated that this medication is not for everyone and does have severe side effects. Some of the side effects are that of more sleep for the medicated, where as the unmediated can get less sleep. With Ritalin a child can become more depressed, but the pro would be the ability to focus more in school. In my personal opinion, you can medicate a child to death, but you need to understand the cause of the behavioral problem, before you can remove the cause. Just proving a child with medicine but not really knowing for what is not the answer.
Repositioning, the utilization of waffle boots, specialty mattresses, specialized dressings, and pillows are all prevention measures that are used at most facilities. Evidenced by the sheer number of pressure ulcers that still occur in clinical settings, we are not doing enough to prevent these ulcers from happening. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, " Each year, more than 2.5 million people in the United States develop pressure ulcers" (Berlowitz, 2014). This number is far too large and goes to show that not enough is being done to prevent pressure ulcers in our patients. Pressure ulcers leave patients open to infection, slow healing time, and cost the US somewhere between $9.1 - $11.6 billion dollars per year (Berlowitz, 2014).
Addiction Simulation Exercise This exercise made me realize how hard it really is for addicts to hide their addictions. It was very hard to hide this from my friends since I hang out with them the most. I felt scared that they would think of me differently and judge me, if they knew i was an addict. At first it didnt bother me if i didnt have it, but as the time went on, i felt like i had to have it with every dring because other wise it didnt tast the same. I felt like i couldnt enjoy the drinks the same way withought the ice cubes.
The Negative Ramifications of Antidepressant Medications I am very concerned about the increase in the use of antidepressant medications, which have been on the incline for the past 20 years. I believe that most of these drugs are being unnecessarily prescribed to millions of men, women and children every day across America. I notice that every time someone feels a little down or the least bit depressed they run to their physician and receive a prescription for some form of antidepressant which they believe will take care of all of their problems and unhappiness. I think some of the problem lies in the television commercials regarding these medications. When the public sees an advertisement stating that a pill will take away all of their bad feelings, they want to believe it and this is how the doctors and drug manufacturers convince the public that they need these medications.
In order to decrease the abuse of prescription medications we must understand where these drugs are coming from, what their effects are on the mind and body, as well as what can be done to prevent these drugs from getting into the wrong hands. The prescription drug epidemic had a good run due to the lack of information regarding their true dangers but with more readily available data and thousands of cases to help back it up, one can only hope abuse will begin to decline in the years to follow. Prescription drug abuse can be defined as someone taking a medication prescribed to them or acquired some other way for a reason or in a method other than that suggested by a doctor.
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Describe the experience The majority of children born with full-blown FAS were born to mothers who are alcoholics and who drink everyday. Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a health problem that affects mother that consumed large amount of alcohol during pregnancy. Pregnant women are not educated about the risks of consuming alcohol during pregnancy. High levels of alcohol during pregnancy can result in a range of physical and mental abnormalities FAS is the leading known cause of mental abnormalities. Along with mental retardation, it could also cause physical problems.
It is estimated that approximately twenty five percent of the geriatric population consumes ten to fourteen separate medications daily. This can lead to other problems, risks and side effects such as, drug abuse, substance abuse, depression, dementia, and possibly, death. Typically people believe drug and substance abuse to be a problem primarily among young adults, but it is also a very real problem within the elderly population. Overmedicating is the primary issue that leads to late adulthood drug abuse. Moreover, physicians tend to treat their patients for a specific condition without considering that their patient has probably been prescribed medications for other illnesses by other physicians.