Addiction in the Elderly Population

Today's podcast we invite back Dr. B, Faried Banimahd, M.D., CEO of American Addiction Institute of Mind and Medicine. They discuss the growing issue of substance use and misuse among the elderly (adults over the age of 60), particularly of alcohol and prescription drugs, as one of the fastest-growing health problems in the United States. Addiction in the elderly population can be extremely serious. Listen as they discuss prescription drug abuse and the misuse of prescribed medicines where they may abuse their own medicine in a way that is not instructed by the doctor, or more than is necessary. Listen to tips for conversations and ways you can raise a concern without hindering or hurting the relationship. 

The aging of the American population has created a sense of urgency among long term care (LTC) providers as they begin to realize the scale of substance use and misuse among older adults. Between 2006 and 2020 rates of diagnosed substance use disorder (SUDs) among older adults was projected to more than double from 2.8 million to 5.8 million. This trend is likely to continue over the next 20 years inline with continued growth in the number of Americans 60 years or older.
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