Older Adults in Treatment Increasing
The number of adults over 50 in rehab treatment facilities is growing, according to a recent study by New York University. The study, “Demographic Trends of Adults in New York City Opioid Treatment Programs- An Aging Population,” used data collected by New York State’s Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) which provides national information on treatment population, including characteristics like demographic, self -reported substance abuse and self-reported physical abuse.
“Most notably,” says Benjamin Han, MD, MPH, an instructor at NYUSoM and the study’s principle investigator, “we found a pronounced age trend in those utilizing opioid treatment programs from 1996 to 2012, with adults aged 50 and older becoming the majority treatment population.”
The study discussed the documentation of the increase in drug rehab by older adults. They reported that in 1996, adults over the age of 50 accounted for 7.8 percent of the treatment population whereas, in 2012, older adults accounted for 35.9 percent. During this time period overall treatment population also dropped 7.6 percent, which makes those percentages even more significant. Furthermore, those under 40 years old accounted for 56.2 percent of patients in 1996 and 20.5 percent in 2012. Further, The demographic of these populations also changed over time, with the amount of older adult black patients decreasing and the number of older adult white patients increasing.
“These increases are especially striking, considering there was about a 7.6% decrease in the total patient population over that period of time, and suggests that we are facing a never before seen epidemic of older adults with substance use disorders and increasing numbers of older adults in substance abuse treatment. Unfortunately there is a lack of knowledge about the burden of chronic diseases and geriatric conditions or the cognitive and physical function of this growing population” Dr. Han reported.
The researchers predict that the number of older adults in treatment will continue to rise, especially over the next decade. These adults have specific needs and should be treated from a geriatric perspective.
Source: nyu.edu