The Commissioner's corner. (alcoholism among the aged) (column)

The Commissioner's Corner

It is common for those of us in social services, whether researchers or heads of Federal or county agencies, to set ourselves at a distance from the problems we tackle and to analyze them, using terms like "late onset alcoholics" or "substance abusers."

This distancing is often necessary to bring the best reasoning to bear in understanding the extent and nature of a problem and in designing effective outreach and treatment programs. Over the past two decades, there has been a steady growth in the accumulation of data and information on alcohol abuse by the elderly. Numerous research and demonstration programs have been funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the National Institute on Aging, the National Institute on …