Frequent drinkers unravelled

Beth Bareham, NIHR SPCR  doctoral fellow at Newcastle University Institute of Health and Society and Institute for Ageing (@bkateb1) She co-authored the Age and Ageing Paper Drinking in later life: a systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative studies exploring older people’s perceptions and experiences with Professor Eileen Kaner @EileenKaner, Liam Spencer @LiamPSpencer and Professor Barbara Hanratty @BarbaraHanratty.

Within the United Kingdom, older people experience more alcohol-related hospitalisations and deaths than any other age group. Risky drinking amongst  older people is not just confined to the United Kingdom. Potentially harmful patterns of drinking are common amongst older age groups across the globe. Older people are not only at risk because they drink more often, but also because quantities of alcohol that may have been safer earlier in life have the potential to damage an older person’s health if, like most, they have medical conditions or take medications. However, moderate drinking in older age has been linked with some health benefits, and drinking may also have a positive impact on their social lives. The impact of alcohol on older people is complex, and many different factors can influence their choices. To modify riskier drinking in later life and support people to live longer, healthier lives, it’s vital that we understand these complexities. 

Moderate alcohol consumption associated with improved health in older people

A paper published this week in Age & Ageing, the scientific journal of The British Geriatrics Society, expands upon earlier research that moderate alcohol consumption is associated with lower levels of inflammation, and explores the potential for decreased risk for age-related conditions such as cardiovascular disease and frailty.

The editorial, which was written by researchers at The National Institute on Ageing in the United States, highlights the statistical correlation between moderate alcohol consumption and downregulation of C-reactive protein, an important biomarker of inflammation used in clinical practice. Ageing is associated with progressively higher levels inflammation and evidence has shown that individuals with raised levels of C-reactive protein are at higher risk for developing many age-related medical conditions including frailty, poor physical performance and low muscle strength. Inflammation is also a well-documented independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

January issue of Age and Ageing journal out now

The January 2015 issue of Age and Ageing, the journal of the British Geriatrics Society is out now.

A full table of contents is available here, with editorials, research papers, reviews, short reports, case reports book reviews and more. Hot topics this issue include:

• Deprivation of liberty safeguards
• Biomarkers for dementia
• Clinical features of delirium
• Physical therapy for knee osteoarthritis
• Integrated care for older people

The Editor’s View can be read here.

This issue’s free access papers are:

• The contribution of geriatric medicine to integrated care for older people

• Much more medicine for the oldest old: trends in UK electronic clinical records

• Alcohol consumption and physical functioning among middle-aged and older adults in Central and Eastern Europe: Results from the HAPIEE study

• Economic evaluation of the differential benefits of home visits with telephone calls and telephone calls only in transitional discharge support

March issue of Age and Ageing journal out now

The March 2014 issue of Age and Ageing, the journal of the British Geriatrics Society is out now.

A full table of contents is available here, with editorials, research papers, reviews, short reports, case reports book reviews and more. Hot topics this issue include:

• Sensor technology and falls
• Postgraduate training in dementia
• Gender, frailty and life expectancy
• Secular changes in alcohol consumption
• Music-based exercise and cognition

The Editor’s Overview can be read here.

This issue’s free access papers are:

• The demise of the Liverpool Care Pathway: should we ban the highway code because of bad drivers?

• Secular changes in at-risk drinking in Sweden: birth cohort comparisons in 75-year-old men and women 1976–2006

• REFINE (REducing Falls in In-patieNt Elderly) using bed and bedside chair pressure sensors linked to radio-pagers in acute hospital care: a randomised controlled trial

• C-reactive protein, APOE genotype and longitudinal cognitive change in an older population

• UK medical teaching about ageing is improving but there is still work to be done: the Second National Survey of Undergraduate Teaching in Ageing and Geriatric Medicine

 

Too old to drink? At risk drinking in over-75s

Prof Margda Waern, psychiatrist and professor at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg

Health benefits related to mild to moderate alcohol consumption include better cardiac and cerebrovascular health, decreased risk of dementia and improved quality of life. This might help to explain why we are nowadays less likely to discontinue drinking as we age. There may, however, be a down side. Over-consumption of alcohol can increase risk of cognitive impairment, self-neglect and falls. Considering this, it is surprising that we know so little about the extent to which older people engage in potentially harmful drinking.

September issue of Age and Ageing out now

The September issue of Age and Ageing, the journal of the British Geriatrics Society is out now.

A full table of contents is available here, with editorials, research papers, reviews, short reports, case reports book reviews and more. Hot topics this issue include:

• Shock absorbing floors and injury prevention
• Alcohol consumption in older people
• Osteoarthritis and falls fracture risk assessment
• The needs of older prisoners

The Editor’s Pick can be read here.

This issue’s free access papers are:

• Unnecessary ward moves
• Six-month outcomes following an emergency hospital admission for older adults with co-morbid mental health problems indicate complexity of care needs
• Older Europeans and the European Court of Justice

Could more than three million older people in England be at risk of alcohol-related harm?

Research published today in Age and Ageing, the scientific journal of the British Geriatrics Society, shows that the number of older drinkers classified as hazardous alcohol consumers would be in excess of three million

if age specific drinking recommendations proposed in a Royal College of Psychiatrists report were to be implemented.

Our Invisible Addicts, a report published by the Royal College of Psychiatrists in June 2011, suggested lowering the daily recommended alcohol limit for older people to an upper limit of an average of 1.5 units a day (averaged over a week) for people aged 65 or over.  It also suggested reclassifying binge drinking for older consumers as the consumption in a single session of more than 4.5 units for men and more than 3 units for women.