[The influence of an age-specific treatment setting on the success of inpatient detoxification treatment in older patients with substance-related disorders].

In this study, the success of inpatient qualified withdrawal treatment in an age-specific setting was compared with that in a mixed-age setting.175 patients (137 male, average age 59.4 years) with different substance-related disorders were examined. Treatment success was defined as the regular termination of treatment.During the observation period significantly more elderly patients were admitted to the age-specific setting than to the mixed-age setting. Regardless of the treatment setting, more than 80% of patients completed withdrawal treatment regularly. For the overall group as well as for the subgroup of opioid dependent persons in maintenance treatment, withdrawal treatment was significantly more successful in an age-specific setting.The demographic development and these results speak in favor of the implementation of age-specific services for older patients with substance-related disorders.