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Brochures warn seniors on alcohol danger

Two new brochures are available to help older adults residing in continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) learn the dangers of risks of alcohol as related to medicine.

One brochure is intended for distribution by CCRCs (see brochure link #1, below) and the other for distribution through physician offices and programs catering to older adults, such as senior centers and Meals on Wheels (brochure #2).

Sheryl Zimmerman, Ph.D., Kenan Flagler Bingham Distinguished Professor and director of aging research, UNC School of Social Work, and

Kirsten A. Nyrop, Ph.D. ’10, research associate at UNC’s Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research and Thurston Arthritis Research Center, authored the brochures.

Drs. Zimmerman and Nyrop reviewed the literature pertaining to alcohol use among older adults, interviewed representatives of local CCRCs regarding alcohol use policies and observed practices, and developed these brochures explaining how alcohol consumption can affect the health, safety and function of older adults.

The project was funded through a grant from the Peter J. and Prudence F. Meehan Fund at the Triangle Community Foundation.

The public is invited to download the brochures and make copies.

For further information about the project or the brochure, contact Sheryl Zimmerman at sheryl_zimmerman@unc.edu.