The potential impact of the baby-boom generation on substance abuse among elderly persons

Little attention has been paid to substance use disorders in the elderly po pulation. Currently available diagnostic criteria are likely to significant ly underestimate the prevalence of substance abuse among elderly persons be cause they were developed and validated in younger samples. As baby boomers age, the number of elderly persons vr ho misuse or abuse illicit drugs and alcohol may increase because this age cohort has higher rates of use of th ese substances than previous cohorts. Abuse and misuse of prescription and over-the-counter drugs may also increase due to the larger numbers of baby boomers. Few studies have addressed treatment issues that may be unique to elderly substance abuse patients. Some evidence suggests that substance abu se treatment outcomes are poorer among individuals with cognitive impairmen t, and special treatment strategies are needed for elderly persons with dem entia, To identify the magnitude of the problem, diagnostic criteria should be modified and national survey data should be analyzed to provide more ac curate estimates of substance abuse and dependence among baby boomers.