Grey, Balding, & Broken: Aging Population & Substance Abuse

 The aging population in the U.S is the fastest growing population and one of the fastest growing areas of substance use disorders. Research suggests that over 1/3 of substance users did not begin using until retirement.  This workshop is looking at the geriatric population and their addictions. In order to understand some of the reasoning behind this, we must look at the social and cultural aspects of this population as well as their physical and emotional health.  

Objectives

• Recognize the epidemiology and substance abuse trends among the elderly.  
• List warning signs of substance use. 
• Provide assessment techniques for assessing the elderly.
• Explore preventative approaches.

About Dr. Keith Killian

Dr. Killian is a Professor and program director of the master’s program in Addictions Counseling at the University of Central Oklahoma. He is a retired psychiatrist from his practice in Iowa. Prior to that profession, he worked as an emergency room physician. After returning to Oklahoma, he left medicine and began working in the field of substance abuse and co-occurring disorders.
In 2008 he was given the opportunity to co-create the master’s degree in Substance Abuse Studies (now Addictions Counseling) at UCO. He has several publications and has lectured internationally on various addiction and drug related topics. He has consulted in South Korea and served on a committee for Japan on how the countries can begin educating professionals to include addictions therapy into their curriculum.