Older adults and drinking: assessment and management

The focus of this course is older adults who are not likely to be identified as at risk because of alcohol.

GPs and other primary care staff are in a good position to ask their older patients about their alcohol use and have a conversation about the risk of consuming alcohol.

After completing this course, you should know:

• The factors that place older adults at increased risk should they consume alcohol.
• How to assess older adults drinking using standardized screening tools.
• The different treatment options for older adults who are identified as at increased risk from consuming alcohol (Hazardous use), and those who are consuming alcohol in a harmful/dependent way. 
• The extent and nature of alcohol interactions with prescription medications.

Acknowledgements

This content was created by Dr David Newcombe PhD, and Dr Juma Rahman MBBS, MPH (University of Auckland), and Dr Andy Towers (Massey University) for the Goodfellow Unit (2019).  It was reviewed by Dr John McMenamin, General Practitioner, Whanganui Regional Health Network and Professor Janie Sheridan (School of Pharmacy, University of Auckland).