motivation for gambling
Older adults cited relaxation, boredom, passing time, and getting away for the day
reasons they gamble
- more time for leisure and social activities, more discretionary income.
- Casino’s entice seniors with affordable trips, free drinks, meal tokens, medication discounts and special day trips
Gambling becomes pathological when a person exhibits persistent and maladaptive gambling behaviour as indicated by 5 or more of these criteria
- preoccupation with gambling;
- a need to gamble with increasing amounts of money to achieve excitement;
- repeated unsuccessful efforts to control, cut down, or stop gambling;
- restlessness or irritability when trying to cut down;
- gambling to escape from problems or escape dysphoric mood;
- returning to chase one’s losses;
- lying to family members, therapists, others, to conceal gambling;
- commitment of illegal acts to support gambling;
- jeopardized or lost relationship, job, educational or career opportunity; and
- dependence on others to provide money to relieve desperate financial situation
Gambling treatment
Counselling, individual and group therapy - relapse prevention, problem-solving and social skills training;
Individual counselling that aims to help the client identify irrational ways of thinking about gambling, and replace them with realistic understanding of randomness, unpredictability, and independence of events; revisiting the real outcomes they have experienced.
Support Groups such as gamblers anonymous
Pharmacotherapy (mood stabilizers)
Alternative Therapies – natural recovery group – stimulus control (avoidance of gambling activities and advertisements) and new activities to replace gambling
Education – about the risks of gambling is recommended for older adults to identify recreational gambling as an activity that could lead to gambling problems. Internet gambling is an added challenge
Peers may be useful as mentors to travel on gabling trips sponsored by senior centers. Senior centers need to find social alternatives for seniors
