This checklist is a screening device designed primarily for elderly individuals. It can help identify protective factors that reduce the likelihood that elderly individuals will develop a dependency on substances. Some of these protective factors are behavioral, while others are attitudinal. Counselors can use this tool to help evaluate whether an elderly client has sufficient protective factors in place that are likely to minimize the client’s propensity toward abuse of substances.

o 1. I am generally in good health.
o 2. My spiritual life provides me with a lot of support.
o 3. I don’t worry a great deal about money.
o 4. My spouse/partner is living.
o 5. I can deal with my aches and pains without using substances.
o 6. I don’t think you should rely on substances to deal with your problems.
o 7. I don’t like the feeling I get when I use substances.
o 8. My friends generally don’t use substances around me.
o 9. There are better ways for me to spend my money than on substances.
o 10. My spouse/partner rarely uses substances.
o 12. I see friends and/or family members fairly regularly.
o 13. I am comfortable with my surroundings.
o 14. I think people who use substances to deal with problems are weak.
o 16. I am not easily bored.
o 11. My spouse/partner is generally supportive and understanding.
o 17. When I was younger, I generally avoided using substances.
o 18. I am happy where I live.
o 19. Religious practices are important to me.
o 20. No one’s life was ever improved by taking substances.

Sylvia Kay Fisher, PhD, Educational Measurement and Evaluation, has significant program evaluation experience and was formerly a counselor and psychological evaluator. Ronnie Fisher, EdS is a retired psychology teacher and a former social worker and counselor.

Editor’s Note: In the issue of Counselor Magazine, [Volume 6, No. 4], an error was made that affected the scoring of the Screening Tool for Elderly Substance Abuse Checklist. Specifically, a 5-point Likert response scale was printed in the issue; however, the Screening Tool was designed as a checklist and the checklist should be scored accordingly. Readers are advised to count the number of statements selected by the client to obtain a total score. The larger the number of statements selected by the client, the greater the likelihood that the elderly client has a problem with the use of substances. Apologies are extended to readers for any confusion this error may have caused.

This article is published in Counselor,The Magazine for Addiction Professionals, October 2005, v.6, n.5, pp.46.

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