Elderly-study – treatment for alcohol problems among 60+

Introduction: The western societies have a rapidly aging population and an increasing number of elderly with alcohol use disorders.
Objectives The purpose of the Elderly study is to develop and test an outpatient behavior therapy program for people with an alcohol use disorders.
Aim to investigate the association between age, gender, drinking pattern and psychology distress.
Methods: The study is a randomized study expected to enroll and treat 1000 participants aged 60+ years before April 2017; 200 in USA; 400 in Germany and 400 in Denmark. To be included in the study the participants have to fulfil the DSM-5 criteria for alcohol use disorder. All participants are examined at baseline, and at four follow up interviews. After the baseline interview all participants are randomized to Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET); or MET followed by 8 weeks of counseling based on the Community Reinforcement Approach (CRA) with a module added to address problems relevant to elderly people.
Results: The presentation will include baseline characteristics of the Danish participants including demographics, expectations to treatment, history of drinking in the last 90 days before baseline and their psychological distress. We have now enrolled 259 participants in the Danish database. We expect to present results from 320.
Conclusions: The data will present information about the profile of 60+ year’s individuals seeking treatment for alcohol use disorder, and thereby provide knowledge about which characteristics that may be important when planning treatment for this age group.