The older adult population is growing by leaps and bounds. Dramatic lifestyle changes, along with growing health problems, have led many to turn to alcohol, prescription painkillers, and marijuana to medicate their physical and psychological pain. You may think, Dad is just enjoying cocktails and retirement, or Mom still has pain and needs her pills. Maybe so, but consider that an estimated 17 percent of people age sixty and older struggle with substance misuse and addiction. Older adults are now hospitalized as often for alcohol-related problems as they are for heart attacks.
In this book, Dr. Haroutunian, former physician director of the Licensed Health Professionals Program at the Betty Ford Center, provides you with the information needed to understand the dynamics of addiction in older adults. You'll learn to
- clearly distinguish between the signs of aging and the signs of addiction, many of which overlap
- identify the indications of drug misuse and its progression to addiction
- understand the unique treatment needs of older adults
- get the help youas a caregiver or loved oneneed to cope with your loved one's addiction
This essential guide can help you transform stress and chaos into understanding and compassion.
Harry Haroutunian, MD, an internationally known speaker and authority on addiction-oriented topics—including drug misuse among older adults—is widely read online and has appeared on
The Dr. Oz Show and
Dr. Drew On Call and in the
New York Times and
Cosmopolitan. Board certified in both addiction and family medicine, he serves as physician director of professional and residential programs at the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California.
Also available as an E-book available to purchase from your favorite e-book retailer.
In this book, Dr. Haroutunian, physician director of the Licensed Health Professionals Program at the Betty Ford Center, provides you with the information needed to understand the dynamics of addiction in older adults.
