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The Use of the Addictive Drugs by the Seniors
KOPAČKOVÁ, Dominika
The bachelor thesis deals with using addictive substances by senior citizens. The age cathegoty 60+ should not be omitted when speaking of using addictive substances. Even senior citizens are users of some addictive substances, especially drugs. The thesis is divided into two parts, theoretical and explorative one. There are four chapters in the theoretical part (Old age and ageing, Substance addiction, Addictive substances and their classification, Usage of addictive substances in the old age) and summarizes the knowledge from recent literature about this topic. First, the old age and ageing are described. This chapter deals with ageing and old age of the human. This work describes the right mental hygiene, too. Multi-factorial manifestation of the old age (biological, psychological and social) is mentioned as well. In the second chapter there are described the factors that increase probability of the addiction origin. These factors can be genetic, biological, and psychological. There are mentioned some system models of the formation, development and maintenance of addiction, dependence and definition of the signs that addiction manifests. The third chapter divides addictive substances between legal and illegal. There are their effects, impacts on the human organism decribed. The group of legal addictive substances are included tobacco, alcohol, drugs and certain foods. Illegal substances represented here by cannabis, hallucinogens, stimulants, opiates. The last fourth chapter focuses directly on the addictive behaviour of the senior citizens. Seniors are also users of substances with addictive potential. At first alcoholism is mapped, other chapters devote addiction to nicotine, drugs and narcotics. The main goal of the thesis is to determine whether seniors use an addictive substance. A partial goal of is to find out the extent and cause of using addictive substances by the senior population. To find out these goals there were used the principles of quantitive research. To collect the data there were used questionnaires, created all by the author. The questionnaires were created with open and closed questiones and used in the printed form. The research has been conducted in Sušice and its close surroundings in February 2015. Respondents were the people with the least age limit of 70 years. These were 40 people living in their households or home for elderly. The results show that also amongst senior citizens can be found those ones who use the addictive substances. Current problem are by the doctor prescribed drugs. Today´s senior citizen uses drugs regularly, very often also combination of more drugs. Seniors often use medication to relieve the pain because the pain occurs more frequently. They use drugs to help them sleep better, too. The next group of addictive substances, which this chapter deals with, are drugs with a shoothing effect. There are smokers between the senior citizens who bare this bad habit from their midlife. Some research shows that cannabis helps people with Parkinson's and Alzheimer´s disease. Seniors do not use cannabis for these purposes because it is not legal. Alcohol is drunk by older people on occassion, on the other hand there are also people who drink such an amount that is not considered as not-risky. Seniors do not drink so much on one occasion, compared to the young generation. In the thesis this problem is described more detailed. Results of the research can be used by lay public to understand issues of addictive substances better. This thesis can be source of information for students of healt-social fields of study and it can improve the awareness about reasons of using addictive substances amongs senior citizens.
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