[Detection of alcohol problems among elderly people]. 2007

Małgorzata Suwała, and Andrzej Gerstenkorn
Katedra Medycyny Społeczncj i Zapobiegawczej UM w Lodzi.

Although alcohol problems among elderly people are common, doctors hardly ever recognize them. There are numerous symptoms observed among people over 65 years old that may signal alcohol problems, but are incorrectly perceived as typical onsets of the ageing process. One of the reasons doctors avoid talking to their patients about alcohol use is the fact they feel incompetent as to the early detection of alcohol use disorders. OBJECTIVE The purpose of the study is to present standardized tests aimed at alcohol use disorders detection among elderly people, interpretation of their results and alcohol interview guidelines. CONCLUSIONS The alcohol use disorders among elderly people may have serious health consequences. Polish doctors seem to ignore the issue of alcohol use when interviewing both young people and those over 65 years old. The majority of elderly patients see their GPs on regular basis, which is a great opportunity to detect the alcohol problem and then to give proper treatment. The most popular standardized tests aimed at alcohol use disorders detection are: S-MAST-G Test, Quantity/Frequency Screen, CHARM Questionnaire, CAGE Test and its modifications. CONCLUSIONS Using the presented tests enables preliminary identification of at-risk drinkers, harmful drinkers and alcohol dependents as well as gives an opportunity to recognize people who need a thorough diagnosis or short intervention method. The usage of the presented tools has medical justification because of the fact that drinking alcohol causes serious health consequences and deteriorates the length and quality of life. It is also economical to apply such methods as the cost of screening is low.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D008487 Medical History Taking Acquiring information from a patient on past medical conditions and treatments. Medical History, Previous,Past Medical History, Family,Previous Medical History,Family Health History,Family History, Health,Family History, Medical,Family Medical History,History Taking, Medical,Family Health Histories,Family Medical Histories,Health Family Histories,Health Family History,Health History, Family,History, Previous Medical,Medical Family Histories,Medical Family History,Medical Histories, Previous,Medical History, Family,Previous Medical Histories
D011044 Poland A country in central Europe, east of Germany. The capital is Warsaw. Polish People's Republic,Republic of Poland
D011320 Primary Health Care Care which provides integrated, accessible health care services by clinicians who are accountable for addressing a large majority of personal health care needs, developing a sustained partnership with patients, and practicing in the context of family and community. (JAMA 1995;273(3):192) Primary Care,Primary Healthcare,Care, Primary,Care, Primary Health,Health Care, Primary,Healthcare, Primary
D011369 Professional-Patient Relations Interactions between health personnel and patients. Contacting Clients,Pharmacist-Patient Relations,Professional Patient Relationship,Client, Contacting,Clients, Contacting,Contacting Client,Pharmacist Patient Relations,Pharmacist-Patient Relation,Professional Patient Relations,Professional Patient Relationships,Professional-Patient Relation,Relation, Pharmacist-Patient,Relation, Professional-Patient,Relations, Pharmacist-Patient,Relations, Professional-Patient,Relationship, Professional Patient,Relationships, Professional Patient
D011594 Psychometrics Assessment of psychological variables by the application of mathematical procedures. Psychometric
D011795 Surveys and Questionnaires Collections of data obtained from voluntary subjects. The information usually takes the form of answers to questions, or suggestions. Community Survey,Nonrespondent,Questionnaire,Questionnaires,Respondent,Survey,Survey Method,Survey Methods,Surveys,Baseline Survey,Community Surveys,Methodology, Survey,Nonrespondents,Questionnaire Design,Randomized Response Technique,Repeated Rounds of Survey,Respondents,Survey Methodology,Baseline Surveys,Design, Questionnaire,Designs, Questionnaire,Methods, Survey,Questionnaire Designs,Questionnaires and Surveys,Randomized Response Techniques,Response Technique, Randomized,Response Techniques, Randomized,Survey, Baseline,Survey, Community,Surveys, Baseline,Surveys, Community,Techniques, Randomized Response
D003376 Counseling The giving of advice and assistance to individuals with educational or personal problems.
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man

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