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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Elaine T. Jurkowski, MSW, PhD, School of Social Work, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, M/C 4329 , 875 S. Normal Ave., Carbondale, IL 62901-4329, 618-453-2243, etjurkow@siu.edu

Mental health issues and substance abuse disorders often co-occur for adults. This problem is magnified when we examine the issues of substance abuse and older adults, especially those living in rural communities. METHOD: A series of focus groups were held with service providers working in the areas of aging, substance use/abuse and mental health working within rural communities of a Midwest state. Providers were asked a eight questions to identify their perceptions of the issues related to substance abuse and overuse. A nominal group technique was used to collect feedback from participants. The data was analyzed qualitatively by three coders to ensure inter-rater reliability. FINDINGS: Providers recognized that there were serious issues related to co-existing conditions such as substance abuse and mental health problems for older adults. In addition, the service delivery system tended to work in “silos” of service, and did not address the needs of older adults with substance abuse issues. Screening/assessment and treatment strategies did exist, although were limited and in providers were in need of having exposure to methods that would work with a target population for older adults. A series of solutions for training and educational approaches to meet this dearth of information also evolved from the findings and is discussed in this paper. CONCLUSION: The issues of substance abuse and older adults are often neglected by service providers. A series of recommendations are included in this paper as an attempt to build upon current resources.

Learning Objectives: At the end of this session, participants will

• Be aware of barriers facing older adults relative to treatment fr sbustance abuse.
• Understand some of the challenges that public health faces in building assesment and intervention strategies to meet this need.
• Be aware of some potential solutions to b

Keywords: Aging, Alcohol Problems

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered