February is Heart Month.

Suggested Activities: Alcohol and hypertension; raise awareness the role of moderate alcohol consumption of healthy heart living. What exactly is 'moderate drinking' for older adults. Prevention and education can draw attention to low risk drinking guidelines as part of having a healthy heart

Suggested Activities:

• Raise awareness that the liver is one of the most important organs in the body. "You'll miss me when I'm gone." Keeping your liver healthy.

• Raise awareness of common medications, and medication interactions; as well as alcohol-medication interactions that can be "liver killers".

Resources: Canadian Liver Foundation

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March is also Nutrition Month.

Each drink provides consumed approximately 150 calories of energy, but no nutrition. Alcohol interferes with vitamin absorption. Many older people who are drinking more than moderate amounts lack sufficient levels of folates which are essential for brain and memory health.

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March 13 -19  is Brain Awareness Week

Alcohol has a significant negative effect on brain, both in the short term and long term. As noted above, any older people who are drinking more than moderate amounts of alcohol lack sufficient levels of folates which are essential for brain and memory health.

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April is Alcohol Awareness Month (United States).

Resources: http://www.nmisp.org/events/nasd/index.aspx

National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence www.ncadd.org/

April is National Cancer Awareness Month

Alcohol is directly related to increased risks of several forms of cancer, including mouth, esophageal and breast cancers. Because higher levels of alcohol consumption are often tied to poorer nutrition, alcohol can have an indirect effect as well on people's overall wellbeing. Many heavy drinkers are also smokers, which leaves them at increased risk of lung cancer and other respiratory diseases.

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April 23-29, 2006 is National Volunteer Week. Recognize the contributions of your older volunteers. Promote the use of older volunteers in your organization in helping to prevent or address alcohol problems in later life.

For more information on volunteers in general: www.volunteer.ca/volcan/eng/content/nvw/welcome.php

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April is Stay Alert-Stay Safe Month.

May 7-13, 2006 is Mental Health Counselling Week (United States). This is a good opportunity to discuss depression and anxiety in later life and the role of alcohol in depression. See the  Older Adults and Depression brochure. Feel free to use it in your community.

May 25th is National Seniors Health and Fitness Day. (United States)

• This is a good opportunity to explore "Where does alcohol fit into 'fitness' for seniors?"

May is also National High Blood Pressure Education Month. (United States) http://hin.nhlbi.nih.gov/nhbpep_kit/   (National Health, Lung and Blood Institute). See June, also for Canada.

May is Older Americans Month (United States)

June is Seniors Month www.seniors.gc.ca

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June is also Stroke Awareness Month www.heartandstroke.ca

• An opportunity to raise awareness of high blood pressure and strokes, and the role of alcohol in high blood pressure for older adults. More than two drinks a day increases the risk of high blood pressure and high blood pressure is a powerful risk factor for stroke.

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The third Sunday in June is Father's Day. (June18, 2006)

• An opportunity for families to celebrate their fathers, or perhaps to get back in touch if they have become estranged.

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June is Elder Abuse Awareness Month

• Identify the role of alcohol in family violence against seniors, where family member has substance use problem; or where senior has substance use problem.

See the  Older Adults and Abuse brochure.

Heading into the Summer Heat

Suggested Activities: Using "Keep your cool " handout in wellness fairs. "Keep you cool", identifies heat related problems for seniors from common medications and alcohol.

July is also Anti-Boredom Month.

Heading into the Summer Heat (cont'd)

Suggested Activities: Using "Keep your cool" handout in wellness fairs. Emphasize

- keeping hydrated (alcohol is a poor source of hydration);

- adults become less aware of thirst as they age;

- getting out of the house/apartment to keep cool.

August is also Admit You're Happy Month

September is Healthy Aging Month

Suggested Activities: Another opportunity to raise awareness of alcohol in the context of healthy aging, and raise awareness of how other lifestyle changes can help people "age well".

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September is Falls Prevention Month

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September is National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month (US)

• Recovery month promotes the societal benefits of substance use treatment. Source: www.recoverymonth.gov/

• Suggested Activities: "Worth the Effort at any Age" (c) 2003, Seeking Solutions
   

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September is National Cholesterol Education Month

Alcohol adversely interacts with statins which are medications used to lower cholesterol. This is an opportunity to raise awareness of how lifestyle changes can help people "age well".

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Sexual Violence Awareness Week (September 10-16, Newfoundland). Like younger women, older women can be the victims of sexual violence, in their later years or  they may be experiencing the long term effects of  sexual violence that occurred earlier in their life. Excessive substance use is one of the ways some people try to cope with the memories.

The third Tuesday of September is Take A Loved One to the Doctor Day (United States)

• The purpose is to encourage people to take charge of their health by visiting a health professional, making an appointment for a visit, attending a health event in the community or helping a friend, neighbor or family member do so. See: www.omhrc.gov/healthgap/

October 1st is the International Day of the Older Person, and October is Seniors and Elders Month in Manitoba. Excellent opportunities to celebrate the contributions of older adults, and to tackle negative stereotypes of aging.

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October 2-6th is National Mental Illness Awareness Week

www.cpa-apc.org

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October 5th, 2006 is Depression Screening Day
 

Help people recognize that depression can occur in later life too. The symptoms are different for older adults. Provide self tests for depression. Know and identify the community resource that can help older adults who are experiencing depression.

One quarter of older people who experience alcohol problems also have an underlying condition of depression. 

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October includes Ulcer Awareness Week

• Alcohol is a stomach irritant and one of the most common reasons people are admitted to hospital for stomach bleeding. Raise awareness of alcohol as a cause of stomach problems, as well as alcohol- medication interactions.

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October is Fire Prevention Month/Week. October 1-7th, 2006.

• Falling asleep in that easy chair in front of the television with a drink and cigarette, or falling asleep and leaving supper burning on the stove are just two examples of situations leading to fire death for older adults. Many medications combined with even one or two drinks can lead to increased sedation so that the person may not wake up and smell the smoke.

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October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

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October is also:

• Flu Prevention Month: Reinforce the idea that drinking alcohol is not a good way to fight colds or the flu. Raise awareness that alcohol can interfere with common over the counter drugs that people use for colds and flus.

• National Mental Health Week: Identify ways for seniors to maintain good mental health.

  • Provide self tests for memory.

  • Identify common stereotypes about older adults and memory and about dementia in later life. Be prepared to address questions such as "Does alcohol consumption reduce dementia risk?"

• National Mental Illness Awareness Week: Help people recognize that depression can occur in later life too. The symptoms are different for older adults. Provide self tests for depression.

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• October is "Talk About Prescriptions" Month. The whole month provides an excellent opportunity to raise awareness of medication interactions and alcohol-medication interactions. Many over the counter medications commonly used by older adults contain aspirin and other drugs that adversely interact with alcohol.

• Develop links with and cultivate pharmaceutical companies and pharmacists' associations for funding for your community, provincial, or national work in this area.

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Eight out of ten older adults in Canada operate at the two lowest levels of functional literacy. This makes it more challenging for them to understand written materials, unless these are written in a way that understands these common literacy difficulties. Difficulties with functional literacy can isolate an older person.

Suggested Activities: Use this opportunity to provide alcohol- health information in other fun and informative ways, such as plays for older adults performed by peers.

Also promote life long learning to increase the level of functional literacy among older adults.

• National Brain Injury Awareness Month

More and more people with brain injuries (e.g., from alcohol-related car accidents or falls, or Fetal Alcohol Syndrome) are heading into their senior years. Emphasize the life long impact of these conditions and how they are tied to alcohol consumption (particularly binge drinking).

Long term heavy alcohol use also causes brain damage, particularly to the frontal lobe. This affects the executive function (the person's ability to make decisions and carry out plans).

November 6-12 is National Seniors Safety Week, a good opportunity to identify alcohol and medication issues in the context of driving and  falls prevention. See: www.safety-council.org/info/seniors/seniors.htm

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November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month

• Identify the connection between smoking and drinking.

• Provide education material in a way that shows change is possible at any age. Many older smokers are "die hard" smokers, who have tried to quit many times. Simple solutions are less likely to work for them. Offer other motivations and strategies that increase the chance of success in quitting.

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November is Family Violence Prevention Month (Alberta)

• Identify the role of alcohol in family violence against seniors. There are two types of situations:

  • where family member has substance use problem; or

  • where senior has substance use problem. [Also see June]

• Promote cross training between senior abuse counsellors and addiction counsellors.

Alberta's elder abuse network has created a special public service TV ad identifying abuse of an older man. Family Violence Prevention Month

See also Alberta's Elder Abuse Awareness Campaign Plan

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The 3rd full week of November is National Addictions Awareness Week. (Nov. 19-25).

Suggested Activities:

• General awareness information on alcohol and older adults. Alcohol as a drug. Here are some brochure and posters you are welcome to use.

  • "Worth the effort at any age." (c) 2003 Seeking Solutions

  • "Alcohol and Heart Health" (c) 2003 Seeking Solutions

  • "Fast Facts on Alcohol" (c) 2003 Seeking Solutions

   

• Identify how alcohol interferes with specific common medications taken by older adults; choices on what to do, how to avoid developing problems.

• Address the stigma associated with having an alcohol problem and seeking help.

• Identify the different ways alcohol problems can develop and common related problems.

  •  "Watch the Trap" (c) 2003 Seeking Solutions

  • "Feeling a Little Boxed In?" (c) 2003 Seeking Solutions

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November is National Family Caregivers Month (US)

Alcohol is involved in caregiving in two different ways. A spouse or other family member may be caring for an older person whose physical or mental health has deteriorated, sometimes because of their recent or long term alcohol use.

In others situations, the caregiving can become stressful. Alcohol or prescribed drugs can easily become some caregivers' escape hatch.

While many caregiving groups recognized the stresses, few talk about people's increased alcohol or medication use when trying to cope.

Suggested Activities:

• Normalize the fact that giving care can sometimes be difficult.
• Help caregivers look at their level of stress (e.g. Caregivers Strain Index)
• Use a simple self test questionnaire in a brochure or other handout to ask about changes in their sleeping, eating and drinking patterns.
• Offer to give an upbeat presentation to a caregiver's group about medication use (integrating the alcohol issues at appropriate points, e.g. looking at sleep).

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November is Diabetes Awareness Month

Diabetes is a serious and growing health problem among certain groups of Canadians. It is estimated that diabetes is three to five times more prevalent among First Nations people than in the general population. November is a good opportunity to raise awareness of how alcohol affects diabetes control, which people with diabetes should not drink, and for those who drink, how to do that with greater safety.

Resources: The webpage on alcohol and diabetes on this site.

Canadian Diabetes Association. www.diabetes.ca/Section_About/type2.asp

Suggested Activities: Winter handout/ posters for these themes.

Alcohol and the cold temperatures:

Fact or fancy?

"With colder weather...many people may want a little alcohol to stay warm, but the reality is alcohol can do just the opposite. Alcohol increases heat loss from the body, so you may feel the cold even more.

Does alcohol help a cold? No, but alcohol can interfere with your body's ability to fight infection and it may interfere with medications that you're taking."

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Handling the Christmas/ Holiday Season

- A handout geared to older adults about avoiding the Christmas/ holidays blues; and how alcohol can make matters worse for older adults.

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Dealing with the Winter Doldrums

- What to do when you are an older adult, it's icy or rainy outside and you are stuck inside for weeks on end because you are concerned about falling. How to save your sanity.

Holidays and Sea Cruises

-  Seniors, alcohol and sea cruises offers prevention and harm reduction strategies.

This document is an updated version of the 2003 and 2004 calendars prepared for the national project: Seeking Solutions: Canadian Community Action on Seniors and Alcohol Issues, an initiative funded through Health Canada, National Population Health Project. Our many thanks to Health Canada for making this possible. The views expressed in these documents are those of the author and are not necessarily those of Health Canada.

Page last updated Friday December 30, 2005

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