ALCOHOL-ABUSE - A SOURCE OF REVERSIBLE FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY AMONG RESIDENTS OF A VA NURSING-HOME

The prevalence of psychiatric disorders was determined in a sample of 196 VA nursing home residents who were interviewed using the modified Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (mSADS). Of the 160 subjects for whom data were available, 86% had a diagnosis of at leas t one psychiatric disorder. The prevalence of clinically significant c ognitive impairment was 60.6% and of major depression 13.8%. Of 110 re sidents for whom alcohol histories were obtained, 32 (29%) had a lifet ime diagnosis of alcohol abuse. The degree of impairment in activities of daily living improved significantly from the time of admission to the time of the evaluation (average 1.4 years) among those who were re cently abusing alcohol compared to those who formerly abused alcohol a nd those who never abused alcohol. The effect is clinically as well as statistically significant and has the potential benefit of reducing c aregiver burden and health care costs for the elderly. (C) 1997 John W iley & Sons, Ltd.