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Professor Ilana Crome Keele University 21 March 2013 . A QUESTION OF VALUES Substance misuse THE ELDERLY . Thanks to colleagues and friends. Prof Peter Crome Dr Tony Rao Dr Martin Frisher Dr Roger Bloor Dr Alex Baldacchino Drs Ishbel Moy & Harvinder Sidhu, our future!
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Professor Ilana Crome Keele University 21 March 2013 A QUESTION OF VALUES Substance misuse THE ELDERLY
Thanks to colleagues and friends • Prof Peter Crome • Dr Tony Rao • Dr Martin Frisher • Dr Roger Bloor • Dr Alex Baldacchino • Drs Ishbel Moy & Harvinder Sidhu, our future! • And many other collaborators…
Professor Ilana Crome Dr Karim Dar Dr Stefan Janikiewicz Dr Tony Rao Dr Andrew Tarbuck
OVERVIEW • Why is it important • What current research tells us • How do we deal with it now • The future • Peter’s contributions
Peter’s Principles • Style - Non judgemental, non confrontational • Demystify and destigmatise • What’s special and distinctive? • Proactive and positive • Evidence and uncertainties • Chronic disease - resilience but vulnerability • Dignity, integrity, (e)quality and compassion
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? Harms cost
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? • Scale of the problem • Burden of disease • Lifespan issue • Mortality • Financial costs • Societal impact
CONTEXT • Older people will constitute ~25% of the UK population by 2020; currently 18% over 65s • Overall increase in older people using alcohol and illicit substances over past decade • National surveys of alcohol, illicit drugs, prescription drugs, presentations to Accident and emergency units, presentations to specialist services, hospital admissions (poisoning, drug related mental disorders, alcohol related physical disorders) • Prediction: set to double in the next 2 decades
How much do older people use? • 13% men,12% women over 60 still smoke • Smoking largest cause of premature death • 45% NHS prescriptions for over 65s, twice • Alcohol consumption above adult ‘safe limits’: 20% in men, 10% in women over 65 • Highest alcohol death rate in aged 55-74 • 5% over 45s used any illicit drug over the previous year, 0.7% used a Class A drug • Increasing over 40s coming into treatment – 17% in drug treatment units are over 40
EUROPEAN DISEASE BURDEN ATTRIBUTABLE TO SELECTED LEADING RISK FACTORS (2000) Number of Disability-Adjusted Life Years (000s)
Most difficult to give up(among those who consume in previous year) NIGHT LIFE AND RECREATIVE DRUG USE IN EUROPE A study in 10 European Cities 1998
Lifespan perspective Early life difficulties – maltreatment, distress – associated with substance use disorder and psychiatric comorbidity 90% people who use substances problematically have started before the age of 19 Addiction can be a life long problem
Peter’s contribution NO LONGER ONLY A YOUNG MAN’S DISEASE ILLICIT DRUGS May 2011
POISONING - ANTIDEPRESSANTS May 2011
POISONING - PARACETAMOL May 2011
PERSPICACITY May 2011
Alcohol-related mortality per 100,000 in the UK from 1984 – 2008 trebled
DRUGS Increased for a decade £15 billion per annum 300,000 children 3% - £ 0.5 bn – NHS 6% - £1bn - deaths 90% is due to crime Harms and costs • ALCOHOL - all time high • 3rd leading cause of death • £21 billion per annum • 1 million children • £2.7 billion - health • ~£7 billion crime-related • £6.4 bn - workplace • Family, friends and wider communities - not quantified – child protection, divorce, homeless
COSTS – GREATER FOR OLDER • More than 10 times -The cost of alcohol-related inpatient admissions in England for 55 to 74 year olds was £825.6m compared to £63.8m for 16 to 24 year olds in 2010/11. • 8 times as many 55 to 74 year olds (454,317) were admitted as inpatients compared to 16 to 24 year olds (54,682). • The cost of alcohol-related inpatient admission was £1,993.57m, over 3 times greater than the cost of A&E admissions, £636.30m. • The cost of alcohol-related inpatient admissions for men was £1,278.4m, just under double the cost for women, £715.1m.
HARMS Distinctive RISKS AND COMPLICATIONS
Distinctive issues • Substance use decreases with age, but can be more dangerous • Older people are at increased risk of the adverse physical effects as substances accumulate due to decreased metabolism • Brain sensitivity to drugs may be increased • Women metabolise faster; more severe effects earlier, present later; more comorbidity • May not have dependence eg withdrawal
Distinctive issues • INTERACTIONS AND MISTAKES • Physical and mental health problems – eg sleep, anxiety, pain - hypnotics, anxiolytics and analgesics with abuse potential • Complexity, long term chronic disorders • Self management in partnership – embedded in preventative, communities and team based, continuity, responsive, flexible coordinated and integrated
Precipitants and complications • Self harm a serious risk • Psychiatric problems associated with substance use eg intoxication, withdrawal, dependence, anxiety, depression, psychosis, cognitive dysfunction • Psychosocial factors eg bereavement (spouse, friends, family), retirement, boredom, loneliness, homelessness, loss of income,
Alcohol with symptoms • PETER HAS SEEN ALCOHOL PROBLEMS IN MEMORY CLINIC • Memory problems 22.5% • Sleeping problems 38.5% • Feeling sad or blue 16.8% • Tripping, falling 17.8% • Gastrointestinal 24.1%
Physicians should notice alcohol use complications • Hypertension 30% • Depression 12% • Gout 7.6% • Diabetes 5.2% • Ulcer disease 4.1% • Liver condition 3.5% • Pancreatitis 0.6%
Alcohol with medications • Antihypertensives 31.7% • Ulcer medications 18.2% • NSAID 17.9% • Antiplatelet 17.3% • Non-prescription 12.7% • Antidepressants 11.9% • Sedatives 10.1% • Opioids 6.7% • Nitrates 4.3% • Warfarin 4.4% • Seizure 0.6%
BARRIERS TO DETECTION – AND HOW TO RESPOND • Training – competence, screening tools • Stigma, moral weakness – non-judgmental, non-confrontational • Under-reporting – comprehensive history • Mis-attribution of symptoms, under-diagnosis – awareness of subtle presentations, high index of suspicion • Ageism – ‘that is all she has left’ • Stereotyping – older, higher social class, more educated, women
DETECTION - AWARENESS • Altered/erratic behaviour or symptoms • Poor response to treatmentfor medical illness, request for prescription drugs, sharing, storing • Past personal history/family history of substance misuse & legacy of personal, legal, occupational deficits • Illegal activities
THE 5 A’s • ASK – all drugs, dependence, ambivalence, non-judgemental • ASSESS – motivation, goals, complications • ADVISE – ‘brief intervention’ – feedback, information, self help material • ASSIST – coping strategies, hope, self esteem • ARRANGE – admission – severe addiction, polysubstance, social, comorbidity, relapse
DAPA-PC Drug and Alcohol Problem Assessment for Primary Care (Blazer) • Computerized screening systemquickly identifies substance problems in primary care • Can be used by psychiatrists as well • DAPA-PC is self administered, internet based, automatic scoring • Generates patient profile for medical reference • Presents unique motivational messages and advice for the patient
Information technology • Save clinicians’ time • Patients to be screened in the waiting room • Clinician to follow-up with a patient only when prompted by the results of screen • Computerized screening may lend itself to a more honest revelation regarding drug use compared with face-to-face discussions. • Acceptability of computers by the elderly will only increase.’ • Peter has been interested in this for a long time
CURRENT RESEARCH WHAT DOES IT TELL US? Treatment and Policy
Alcohol dependence was last among 30 medical conditions in proportion of care received as evidence would recommend Source: McGlynn E., et al., (2003). The quality of health care delivered to adults in In the United States. New England Journal of Medicine, 348.
Trials and guidelines • Usually dictated by clinical trials • Complex patients excluded ie unrepresentative samples eg older, substance users, comorbidity • Combined treatments rarely studied • Guidelines are not for older people