About 1 in 10 older adults engages in binge drinking, putting them at greater risk for falls and other medical problems, according to new research published on Wednesday
The research also found cannabis use was higher among binge drinkers — a worrisome mixture, experts said.Even without the added effects of alcohol or pot, falls are already the leading cause of broken bones, trauma and deaths among older adults, according to the National Council on Aging.
Outside experts said it's crucial for physicians to talk to their older patients about drug and alcohol use. "If you don't look for it, you don't find it. And if you don't find it, you can't do anything about it," said Dr. Michael Wasserman, a geriatrician in Thousand Oaks, California, and a member of the nonprofit American Geriatrics Society."The field of geriatrics to me is still 'frontier medicine,' because we don't have enough data," Wasserman said.
"Binge drinking is a lot more common than we think," Factora said, adding that the new study may underestimate the true percentage of older adult binge drinkers. The data relied on self-reported alcohol intake, and some may have chosen not to disclose their drinking habits."Residents and medical students may feel a little bit awkward asking a 90-year-old grandmother if she binge drinks or uses drugs or other substances," Han said.
"But if [she] drinks too much and falls, there's going to be a lot more damage done than [if] someone who is 21 falls," Palamar added.
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