Alcohol misuse and cognitive impairment in older people

The main objectives of this study were to explore: The extent and nature of cognitive impairment in older people (aged 55 and over) attending substance misuse services in the UK for alcohol problems. The difficulties which substance misuse services face when working with clients with cognitive impairment and how treatment can be modified to take account of cognitive difficulties. The extent to which older people attending substance misuse services find screening with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (Nasreddine, et al., 2005) acceptable. The extent to which older people with a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment or early stage dementia can be screened for alcohol problems using standard alcohol screening tools. The extent to which NHS memory assessment services are screening their clients for alcohol problems and the challenges they face in doing so.