Drug And Alcohol Rehabilitation For Senior Citizens

There has been an increase in the number of senior citizens with addiction problems in the United States. This means that drug and alcohol rehab for seniors is increasingly becoming crucial and more common place. In particular, since many seniors are often lonely (and without family members around them), there is a high rate of drug addiction in this segment of the population that tends to go untreated and unrecognized.

That said, before choosing drug rehab for senior citizens, it is vital that you first grasp the unique needs and requirements that the elderly have. In certain instances, seniors might have serious issues associated with their addiction.

Understanding Drug Rehab For Senior Citizens

Today, most drug rehabilitation centers for senior citizens are designed to specifically factor in all the additional co-occurring and other health related issues that most seniors with chronic substance use disorders have upon entering the rehabilitation program.

Additionally, the majority of of senior citizens have a difficult time seeking and accepting help for their drug addiction and substance abuse - with some feeling that there is a stigma and an a feeling of intense failure. Similarly, if they are put in the same addiction facility with people who are younger, they might not feel comfortable enough to find the optimal recovery they need.

Therefore, it is imperative that alcohol and drug rehabilitation for seniors focuses on providing more comfort, opportunities to participate, and opportunities to share their experiences with peers in the same age bracket during the recovery process. Others might also require additional help to overcome their drug and alcohol addiction.

Today, tailored treatment can help seniors find the assistance they require to fight their addictions and come out successful upon completion of the treatment. This is because addiction can be much more difficult for an older person to cope with particularly given the reactions of the body after aging.

In most cases, the rehab will also focus on the lack of mobility, stigma, untreated depression, loneliness, and isolation that many senior citizens feel - which act as triggers for substance abuse and barriers to getting access to and accepting rehab.

In addition, older adults often have a hard time dealing with drug addiction. For example, whereas most young individuals might not go through intense withdrawal while detoxifying from substance abuse, seniors might react differently.

Additionally, the mental decline some seniors tend to experience might cause them to start taking prescription medications more (or less) often than their doctors suggest. Others might also take the wrong dosage. This may cause them to experience an addiction problem.

To this end, it is crucial that the drug rehabilitation for seniors is administerd by medical professionals and drug addiction experts who are taught to specifically administer drug addiction detox and rehab for seniors.

Addiction In Seniors

Every stage in life will present you with unique opportunities and challenges. Among senior citizens, some of the challenges to experiencing happiness and life satisfaction include but are not limited to financial uncertainty, family discord, loss, grief, social isolation, and declining health.

Isolation and loneliness can put senior citizens at heightened risk of experiencing despair, depression, addiction, physical discomfort, emotional distress, and even suicide. Further, such instances might be exacerbated when the senior is prescribed with medications that could have deadly consequences when mixed with illegal drugs or alcohol.

However, senior citizens are similar to any other age group in the sense that they are often reluctant to look for and/or accept rehabilitation. Others might not even have a concept of where they should turn to get the help they need. This is despite the fact that community and family support as well as professional drug and alcohol treatment for seniors can often address the distress and pain that older senior citizens experience when they are on their own.

The unfortunate thing is that medical professionals, friends, and family members often miss addiction among the elderly. Probably because some of the signs of their substance use disorders are often described in the same way as some of the conditions associated with getting older - including but not limited to lack of energy, insomnia or inability to sleep, and distressing physical pains.

When this happens, the symptoms of drug and alcohol addiction in older adults might be seen as some of the associated effects of aging and not necessarily as signs that they might be developing problems with substance abuse and addiction.

How Drug Rehabilitation For Seniors Works

In most instances, recovery from addiction requires the treatment of both the physiological and psychological dependence that often is associated with addiction. Therefore, before a senior citizen can commence treatment to address these challenges, they must first undergo detoxification. During this type of drug and alcohol rehabilitation for seniors, they might experience severe physical and psychological withdrawal as the harmful substances leave the body.

Thankfully, most drug addiction treatment facilities now incorporate intensely overseen and structured detoxification therapies to help senior citizens wean off the drugs they are addicted to. This is more effective than forcing them to stop using abruptly.

During this time, the senior citizen will be closely looked after around the clock and offered with the treatment they need. By so doing, the drug treatment professionals will make sure that they are safe and not uncomfortable.

After a successful detox, the senior will begin undertaking ongoing therapy for their substance use disorder. In most instances, they will work with highly qualified and specially trained drug and alcohol addiction professionals in group therapy and on an individual level. This therapy is designed to help treat the drug addiction fully.

Alcohol and drug rehabilitation for seniors centers are similar to other addiction centers in the sense that they address the needs of the individual client. This is why many facilities administer family counseling above and beyond the individual and group counseling that patients receive.

Luxury Rehabilitation For Aging Adults

If you wish to make the recovery process more comfortable for your loved one, you may want to consider luxury drug treatment for seniors. This form of rehabilitation is effective because the elderly patients at the facility will get to enjoy a wider variety of comforts and therapies (as well as lush surroundings) that are affored to individuals in their age bracket.

In fact, the majority of of the luxury centers that offer drug rehabilitation for senior citizens now offer the same amenities one would expect in a 4 or 5 star hotel. Additionally, the ultimate goal will be the health and successful rehabilitation of the patient. From gym facilities to fine linen as well as privacy, massage therapy, and high end dining arrangements, the beloved senior citizen in your family/social circle can now receive the treatment that they deserve at their age.

Overall, irrespective of the type of center or rehab option chosen, you can be sure that alcohol and drug rehab for senior citizens is effective. There are so many options today meaning it should be easy for you to find one that could help your loved one (or even yourself) overcome your drug and alcohol addiction and substance use disorder (or any other type of co-occurring disorder).