Seniors vulnerable to problem gambling: Forum on seniors and gambling

Forum to address the link between depression, substance abuse and gambling in older adults

For Immediate Release: March 1, 2004 (Toronto) - Isolated and lonely seniors in our communities are especially vulnerable to developing a gambling problem.  While many people can enjoy gambling without consequences, the lure of quick cash for many seniors on a fixed income contributes to the personal, social and financial costs of problem gambling. Older Persons' Mental Health and Addictions Network of Ontario (OPMHAN) and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) will be hosting a public forum that will address why gambling is alluring to seniors, the link between depression, substance abuse and gambling in older adults and where seniors can turn to for help.

The forum entitled Seniors and Gambling: What's the Problem? will be held on Thursday, March 4, 2004 at Toronto Metro Hall, 55 John Street at 7 p.m. in room 308. There is no fee to participate. Featured speakers include Peter Chen, Seniors Specialist in the Problem Gambling program at CAMH and Andre Fontaine, Counselor, Lifestyle Enrichment for Senior Adults.

OPMHAN is a network of more than 50 provincial and regional organizations committed to improving the system of care for older adults living in the community who are at risk of, or coping with mental illness and /or addictions, and for those who care for and about them.  For more information please call Randi Fine, OPMHAN Coordinator at 416-782-1601 or rfine@sympatico.ca.

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health is a Pan American Health Organization and World Health Organization Collaborating Centre and a teaching hospital fully affiliated with the University of Toronto.

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For more information or to arrange an interview with Peter Chen, please contact: Sylvia Hagopian, CAMH Media Relations Coordinator at (416) 595-6015.

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