Abstract
Gambling, ranging from Bingo at the church hall to slot machines at a Casino, has become a more accepted and normative activity among the current generation of older adults as compared to those over age 65 thirty years ago. While the majority of older adult gambling is one of several social and recreational activities, a disturbing trend about problem gambling among older adults is emerging. In our recent population based-study of over 1,000 older urban adults, “at risk” gambling was 10% overall and ranged from 14% for those who visited a casino a few times a year to 20% of those who visited a casino on a monthly basis. Correlates of at-risk gambling included increased physical and mental health disability, a smaller and less satisfying social network, and less transportation and money. This editorial reviews the emerging phenomenon of gambling and its relationship to health and how nurses can integrate assessments of gambling into their psychosocial assessments.
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