ALCOHOL AND ELDERLY PEOPLE - AN OVERVIEW OF THE LITERATURE FOR SOCIAL-WORK

This article attempts to highlight the pressing need for social work t o take more account of the existence of alcohol problems being experie nced by many elderly people. Surveying the available sketchy data, it would appear that perhaps as many as 15% of elderly social work client s may have alcohol related problems. The article continues by consider ing whether a discernable pattern of elderly drinking is identifiable, concluding that the greatest problems relate to the severity rather t han numbers having alcohol related problems, also coupled with an inab ility to access existing treatment services. Additionally, the article contends that there are ethical pitfalls in promoting interventions w hich rest upon stereotypical assumptions or purely technical considera tions. In conclusion some of the main implications of the survey for s ocial work practice are drawn out.