A large number of older adults misuse alcohol, prescription drugs, or other substances, and this number is growing bigger.  It has been estimated that almost one in every five older Americans drink alcohol or use medications unsafely. For some older people, any alcohol use can be a problem. It depends on how their  bodies respond to alcohol, the medications you may be taking, your current health, their medical and family history histories, and other factors.  

• Discuss how you will monitor for misuse of alcohol, prescription drugs, and others substances in your geriatric clients.  
• Identify at least 5 evidence-based references to support your plan.

Monitoring for Misuse of Alcohol, Prescription Drugs, and
Others Substance in Geriatric Clients

Effective monitoring for misuse of
alcohol, prescription drugs, and other substances in geriatric clients requires
an understanding of the group and patient-specific risk factors. Older adults
are at elevated risk for developing health complications due to misuse of
alcohol, prescription drugs, and other substances. According to Kuerbis, Sacco, Blazer and Moore (2014), substance use among older
adults has been under-identified in the past. This observation points to the
likelihood that misuse of alcohol and other substances in this demographic has
been under-identified. Kuerbis, Sacco, Blazer
and Moore (2014)
argued that understanding substance-specific risks in the context of older
adults is imperative in monitoring substance misuse in this population. I would
use these insights to guide how I will monitor for misuse of alcohol,
prescription drugs, and other substances in my geriatric clients.

Based on the insights above, I will
identify the risk factors for each substance in regards to the older adult
demographic and the specific patient. Stresses related to aging, retirement,
and bereavement are some of the risk factors in this demographic that might
lead to alcohol misuse or other substance misuse (Lal & Pattanayak, 2017). Understanding such information for each substance in
relation to older adults will lead to effective monitoring and address the
issue of under-identification of substance misuse in the group. Taking these
risk factors into consideration, I will monitor patient-specific signs,
symptoms, and laboratory parameters in conjunction with the environmental risk
factors to ensure the monitoring process is effective. Patient-specific risk
factors have a major bearing on monitoring for substance misuse in older
adults. According to Kalapatapu and Sullivan (2010), the narrow definition of
such misuse that is applied to the general population is inadequate in the context
of older adults as it has lower diagnostic sensitivity in this demographic (p. 518).
I will collaborate with other stakeholders to ensure all the relevant factors
are take into consideration. Steinman, Handler,
Gurwitz, Schiff and Covinsky
(2011) advocates for a team-based approach. I will use information technology
to support monitoring initiatives. According to Kvedar,
Coye and Everett (2014),
health technologies enhance monitoring in various ways, including remote
monitoring.

References

Kalapatapu,
R. K., & Sullivan, M. A. (2010). Prescription use disorders in older
adults. The American journal on addictions, 19(6),
515-522.

Kuerbis,
A., Sacco, P., Blazer, D. G., & Moore, A. A. (2014). Substance abuse among
older adults. Clinics in geriatric medicine, 30(3),
629-654.

Kvedar,
J., Coye, M. J., & Everett, W. (2014). Connected health: a review of
technologies and strategies to improve patient care with telemedicine and
telehealth. Health Affairs, 33(2), 194-199.

Lal, R.,
& Pattanayak, R. D. (2017). Alcohol use among the elderly: Issues and
considerations. Journal of Geriatric Mental Health, 4(1),
4.

Steinman,
M. A., Handler, S. M., Gurwitz, J. H., Schiff, G. D., & Covinsky, K. E.
(2011). Beyond the prescription: medication monitoring and adverse drug events
in older adults. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 59(8),
1513-1520.

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