Characterisation of older adults and the elderly with substance dependence

Abstract

The continual aging of the general po- pulation brings new challenges, such as an increase in the size of the older groups of the population with substance use disorders. This group has been increasing in size and is expected to continue to do so until at least 2020. AIMS: The main goal of this study is to characterise the people over 50 undergoing treatment at a local drug treatment centre (CRIA) in Portugal both socially and demographical- ly, describing their consumption and clinical profile. METHODS:The participants were selected from a current list of people born before 1963 and using CRIA’s services. The data was collected from the existing database file in the Multidisciplinary Informatics System and was analy- sed with the support of the Statistical Package for the So- cial Sciences program, Version 20. SAMPLE: Of the 102 active patients in this age group, 71 met the necessary conditions for participating in the study. RESULTS: The older consumers were mainly men, unmarried and with few educational qualifications. The main drug found was heroin, polydrug use was common, consumption frequ- ently started early in life, and the percentage of people cur- rently consuming major drugs was very low and so were the levels of high-risk injecting behaviours. CONCLU- SIONS: The increase in the size of this age group and the demand for treatment services are a reality which should prompt further research into this problem.