Statistics

Addiction among seniors is a silent epidemic. It goes undiagnosed and untreated. While the health problems caused by alcohol or medication abuse are treated, the addiction is ignored. Ultimately, this can lead to death.

The following statistics will help illustrate the scope of the problem both in the magnitude of consequences, and the degree to which the problem goes unseen:

• $60 billion is the annual cost of alcohol-related hospital care for older adults.
• 70% of older adult hospital admissions are for illness and accidents related to alcohol (U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on Aging).
• 50% of older adults in nursing homes have an alcohol problem (U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on Aging).
• Older adults lose an average of 10 years off their life span due to alcohol abuse.
• Only 1% of doctors correctly diagnose alcoholism in older women (Columbia).
• 80% of doctors misdiagnose alcoholism as depression in older women (Columbia).
• The highest growing number of alcoholics is among 75 year old widowers (American Medical Association).
• Older women consume 60% of all the prescription and over-the-counter medications.
• Approximately 16.9 million prescriptions for tranquilizers are written to older adults annually.
• Half the medicines used to treat the health problems caused by alcoholism interact badly with alcohol, causing even more health problems.
• 10% of patients over age 60 who are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease are actually suffering from brain damage caused by alcoholism (University of Maryland).
• Substance abuse and addiction is the leading health problem in the United States (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation).