St George’s Medical School (University of London) and the SSA produced a user-friendly set of factsheets to help integrate knowledge of substance use into the undergraduate medical curriculum. This factsheet examines substance use among older people. After reading the factsheet, medical students will be able to:
- recognise and understand the core issues for older people in relation to substance use
- take a detailed substance use history in older people and list key differential diagnoses
- initiate an appropriate care plan, recognising that older people do well with substance use interventions
- provide effective advice to older people about the impact of drugs, alcohol, and other medications on their daily living
