Older admissions to substance abuse treatment in 2001.
OBJECTIVE
The number of older people with substance abuse problems is expected to increase over the next decade. Given the expected growth in the number of elderly clients needing substance abuse treatment, the authors provide a description of admissions of patients age 55 years and over to facilities receiving some public funds.


METHODS
The Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), a public-use data-set, contained information on 58,073 admissions to substance treatment (age 55+) and 1,043,910 admissions age 30-54 years.


RESULTS
Older admissions listed only one substance-daily use of alcohol. Admission record notations indicated that these admissions were more frequently associated with income, insurance, and marriage or divorce than younger admissions. As in younger admissions, criminal justice was a major source of referral to treatment. Older patients' admissions records indicated fewer previous treatment experiences. Older male and female admissions were similar in many regards, but differed in their treatment history. The current treatment admission was more often the first for female admissions. Older female admissions were likely to be more educated than their male counterparts, with a later age at onset.


CONCLUSIONS
Older admissions to substance abuse treatment differed in important ways from younger adult admissions. The older admissions tended to come from a more stable environment (income, insurance, marriage). Despite their very high frequency and amount of drinking, few of these admissions were referred to treatment by healthcare workers.
Arndt
Stephan
S
Department of Psychiatry, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52246, USA. stephan-arndt@uiowa.edu
Gunter
Tracy D
TD
Acion
Laura
L
D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D017050:Episode of Care; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007484:Iowa / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011157:Population Dynamics; D011633:Public Facilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012047:Rehabilitation Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D014600:Utilization Review / Q000706:statistics & numerical data