[Alcohol consumption patterns in older people living in nursing homes]

Although frail elderly people are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of alcohol, very little work on alcohol consumption patterns in older people living in nursing homes has been undertaken.

To determine alcohol consumption patterns among the residents of 8 nursing homes of the Nord Pas-de-Calais in France, and the characteristics associated with heavy drinking (≥ 3 glasses of wine or equivalent/day).

All residents were invited to participate in the study on condition that they satisfied the inclusion criteria (age ≥ 60 years, Mini Mental State of Folstein (MMSE) > 15, agreement) and the exclusion criteria (no oral communication, end of life). Two questionnaires were used, one for the residents and the other for the personnel nursing.

Three hundred and sixty-eight residents [242 females (65.8%) and 126 males (34.2%); mean age, 80.5 ± 8.9 years] participated in the study. Among them, 98 (26.6%) reported no consumption of alcohol and 21 (5.7%) reported occasional consumption. The 249 (67.7%) others reported every-day consumption, principally in the restaurant at the time of the meals. Sixty-seven (18.2%), were heavy drinkers with an early-onset alcoholism for two out of three. Compared with the other residents participating in the study, the at-risk alcohol drinkers were younger and more likely to be a man.

The study confirms that the prevalence of chronic at risk consumption is high in nursing homes. More efforts are needed to identify and improve management of alcohol disorders in this particular setting.