Drinking In Assisted Living Facilities - Is There A Problem?
In a recent New York Times "The New Old Age" post, author Paula Span broached the subject of drinking problems in assisted living facilities. Ms. Span references a study performed by a University of Pittsburgh "team" to determine whether there is, indeed, a problem. The short answer remains: No one really knows.
The "study" referenced by Ms. Span was conducted by interviewing "[m]ore than 800 aides working in assisted living facilities in Pennsylvania." Why weren't the actual residents interviewed? First, funding was insufficient to conduct such a study. Second, there's a little thing called denial! The specter of alcohol abuse in assisted living facilities is certainly raised in article, however. Consider these statistics:
- Nearly 70 percent of assisted living residents drank alcohol.
- More than a third drank daily.
- Twelve percent had abused alcohol (defined as drinking enough to cause “physical or psychosocial harm”) in the past three months.
- Almost 20 percent had experienced an apparent influence on their health from alcohol use in the past three months.
Ms. Span also points out the fact that, because so many assisted living facility residents are on medications, the interaction between alcohol and medicine is a real problem. Finally, the research reveals what we all know...as you age, you can no longer drink as much as you used to be able to drink without adverse affect.
As Ms. Span says: "So might the two or three beers with friends that caused no harm 30 years ago be contributing to your father’s falls now that he is in assisted living? Guess who has been elected to start that conversation."
It is up to you! Check on your loved one. Just because an assisted living facility allows drinking, does not mean it is the right thing to do! On the other hand, it may not be as bad as you think!
