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SOCIALWORKBOOKS.INFO
Treating
Alcohol and Drug Abuse in the Elderly
reviewed
by Marcy Doyle
Treating Alcohol
and Drug Abuse in the Elderly, by Anne M. Gurnack, Roland Atkinson, Nancy
J. Osgood (Editors). Springer Publishing Company, New York, 2001.
256 pages. $39.95.
This book is a practical guide to alcohol and drug additions
in the elderly and offers social workers a valuable reference
manual for the field as well as in the classroom. Additionally,
the text discusses tobacco and gambling addictions to further
supplement the range of addictions that the elderly are susceptible
to.
Each chapter
explores case studies, and proposes medically-based insight for
the causes, characteristics of, and suggested treatment for addictions
in elderly populations. Written by physicians and researchers,
this book offers DSM-IV standards for diagnosis as well as functional
approaches to detection and treatment. The editors go beyond
only symptoms and diagnosis to offer rational and treatment suggestions
for the described addiction. Conclusions and outcomes are also
highlighted within the chapters, and tables and figures supplement
the reading. Detailed references are cited at the end of each
chapter, and a keyword index makes this a handy reference for
those working, teaching, and studying within the field of aging.
Clinical terminology
coupled with expert advice from the field make this book a resourceful
as well as authoritative primer for the practice field. Educators
and students of social work will appreciate insightful case studies
and cognitive behavioral treatments, as well as statistical premises
for the conclusions offered.
This is a truly
comprehensive and informative book that provides addiction assessment
tools, intervention plans and approaches, and case study results.
A must have for social workers in the field of aging.
Reviewed by
Marcy Doyle, BSW student, Frostburg State University, Frostburg,
MD.
© 2002 White
Hat Communications
Contact: linda.grobman@paonline.com
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