Grant funds study of alcohol, prescription drug use by older caregivers
Stacey Kolomer, an assistant professor in UGA’s School of Social Work, has been named a 2005 John A. Hartford Geriatric Social Work Faculty Scholar by the Gerontological Society of America. Kolomer will receive $100,000 over two years to study alcohol and prescription drug use by older caregivers.

The Hartford Faculty Scholars program seeks to enhance the effectiveness of faculty scholars as academic leaders, role models and mentors for future generations of social work professionals working in geriatrics. Kolomer is one of 10 Hartford Faculty Scholars in the nation this year.

Kolomer will use her award to determine the demographic and health characteristics associated with being an older caregiver and abusing alcohol and prescription medications. She also wants to see what interventions can be created to prevent abuse of drugs and alcohol by older caregivers.

“It takes a tremendous amount of time and energy to be the primary caregiver for another person,” says Kolomer. “There’s a lot of evidence that caregivers experience physical, mental, emotional, financial and social strain because of their responsibilities, but often the needs of caregivers go unnoticed until a crisis occurs.”

Peach State Poll: Government has no proper role in end-of-life decisions by citizens
More than three in four Georgians (78 percent) believe that the government should stay out of issues determining whether a patient should be removed from life support or have feeding tubes removed. Another 70 percent say that they trust the courts only a little (16 percent) or not at all (54 percent) to make decisions about their care should they be in a persistent vegetative state.

On the other hand, 93 percent trust their family completely (72 percent) or a great deal (21 percent) to do what is best for them in making end-of-life decisions, according to the most recent Peach State Poll, a quarterly survey of public opinion conducted by UGA’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government.

In cases in which families are divided in their opinions, only 1 percent of respondents assert that the courts should then decide.

“It is clear that the public would prefer that government not interfere with these personal decisions,” says poll director Rich Clark.

Thirty-eight percent say that the opinion of the patient’s spouse should be given priority, and a plurality (45 percent) say that individual circumstances should be considered in determining whose opinion receives priority in deciding the fate of a terminally ill person who is dependent on life support.