Substance Use Disorders (SUD) and Aging

Lead: Treena Becker, PhD (PI)
Team Members: Simi Sidhu, MPH

Substance misuse can more often go undetected among older adults compared to younger adults because older adults may be in retirement or no longer have significant or prolonged interactions with the public. Substance abuse can also present differently at an older age compared to a younger age. Symptoms of substance use, dependence, or abuse may be disguised by symptoms of aging or other age-related medical conditions. Dementia, anxiety, or depression are symptoms of SUDs in older adults, which can contribute to SUDs being underdiagnosed in the older adult population without proper screening.

Current Research
  1. The research team at Center on Aging found that more older individuals than younger individuals in Hawaii have died of drug overdose. This bursts the myth that drug addiction leading to death is a young person problem. Read the peer reviewed publication here https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11307318/
  2. The research team in collaboration with UH JABSOM addiction medicine and UH Cyberinfrastructure has been awarded a NIH grant to use Artificial Intelligencewith Machine Learning techniques to examine addiction treatment pathways inthe Hawaii system or continuum of care that are most likely to result in long-term drug use reduction and lasting recovery. Preliminary work shows that fewer older individuals with SUD seek treatment compared with younger individuals with SUD, in Hawaii. This suggests that there are kupuna who refuse to admit that they have an alcohol and / or drug problem.
  3. The research team in collaboration with UH JABSOM addiction medicine have started a research collaboration examining SUD treatment for individuals experiencing homelessness. Primary data collection shows a noticeable number of elders who are unhoused in SUD treatment, in Downtown Honolulu.

To enhance the well-being of older adults through interdisciplinary and collaborative efforts in research, educational programs, and service to the community

Contact

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Gartley Hall
2430 Campus Road
Honolulu, HI 96822

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  • Mail : uhcoa@hawaii.edu

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