Screening the Elderly for Problem Use of Alcohol

Our goal is to develop and test a screening instrument for identification of alcohol problemsamong the elderly. Both women and ethnic minorities will be represented in activities related to itemenvelopment and pilot testing. The researchers will examine previous approaches, especially theMAST-G, as well as the currently accepted definition of "alcohol abuse" and determine what changesare needed to develop improved screening methods for the elderly. The objectives of this research areto 1. produce a comprehensive report on state-of-the art approaches to early identification of alcoholproblems in general, as well as in the elderly population. The offeror will review and analyzemethodology related to developing screening instruments, particularly with elderly populations. Anexisting literature review will be updated. The researchers will also evaluate the advantages anddisadvantages of different screening methods, including structured interview, self-administered andcomputer administered. 2. Develop a prototype instrument or protocol. The offeror will make use offocus groups of medical and other professionals and ofelderly adults to develop an instrument that is appropriate for use with the elderly in a clinical setting.3. Pilot test the instrument with a small group (9 or fewer) of people from the target population. 4.Design the specific methodology to be used to rigorously evaluate the instrument in appropriatehealth-related settings.