ADVISORY/Carol Colleran, Expert on Older Adults and Addiction, to Speak at the Thirteenth Cape Cod Symposium on Addictive Disorders.

News/Assignment Editors & Health/Medical Writers

ADVISORY...for Friday-Monday (Oct. 6-9)

--(BUSINESS WIRE)

Addiction Across the Lifespan: Prevention, Identification and Healing

Colleran's Presentation, Breaking the Silence, Older Adults,
Prevention, Intervention and Treatment: What Works and What Doesn't
Work
                    Sunday morning October 8, 2000

The symposium is held at Four Points Hyannis Hotel, Hyannis, Cape Cod,
and is sponsored by Brattleboro Resort and North River Foundation,
Inc.
                          Phone: [phone]

Carol Colleran will also be speaking at Martha's Vineyard, Tuesday,
October 10 on "The Hidden Epidemic: Alcohol, Prescription Medications
and the Older Adult" at the Harbor View Hotel Resort, Edgartown

                          Phone: [phone]

          WHO: Carol Colleran, director of The Center of Recovery for
            Older Adults for Hanley-Hazelden Center at St. Mary's in
            West Palm Beach, FL. is a member of the National Council
            on Aging Task force, and is an active member of the United
            Nations Millennium Aging Assembly Committee.

              She is currently working on a book on the topic of older
            adults and substance abuse, a little recognized issue
            affecting some 3 million older adults in this country, and
            their families.

          WHEN: Colleran is available for interviews on late Friday
            afternoon, October 6, Saturday, October 7, Sunday
            afternoon, October 8, Monday, October 9 and Tuesday,
            October 10 in the Boston/Cape Cod area.

          POSSIBLE INTERVIEW TOPICS: Colleran is available to address
            the following topics:

          --  How substance abuse is different for older adults than for
            other age groups.

          --  How to recognize chemical dependency in an older adult.

          --  How to discuss the subject of substance abuse with an
            older adults.

          --  What are the special needs of older adults in treatment?

          --  What are the barriers faced by professionals and family
            members?

          --  How children and spouses of older adults can recognize
            substance abuse, what treatment is and how to facilitate
            treatment.

          BACKGROUND: Nearly 3 million older Americans struggle with
            alcohol and drug addiction. Family and friends often don't
            do anything to help their loved ones because they deny
            that "grandma" or "grandpa" could have a problem.

              At the same time, older adults' bodies metabolize alcohol
            and drugs (often prescription drugs) less efficiently due
            to the physical changes that accompany aging. Recognizing
            chemical abuse in older adults can be difficult because
            the symptoms are often dismissed as ordinary symptoms of
            aging.

          FOR MORE DETAILS: Hazelden offers a free brochure called, "How
            to Talk to an Older Person Who Has a Problem with Alcohol
            or Medications." It is available by calling 800-257-7800
            or by visiting Hazelden's Web site at www.hazelden.org.

          ABOUT HANLEY-HAZELDEN: Hanley-Hazelden Center at St. Mary's,
            established in 1986, is one of the first recovery centers
            in the country to develop a treatment program designed
            specifically for older adults. For more information about
            the services provided by Hanley-Hazelden Center, call
            561-841-1000.

Professional Profile

Carol Colleran

Carol Colleran is a renowned international Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor, specializing in the treatment of addictive disorders in the older adult. She is the distinguished pioneer of specialized treatment for this population and is the Director of the Center of Recovery for Older Adults at the Hanley-Hazelden Center at St. Mary's in West Palm Beach, Florida.

In demand across the country as a speaker, educator and authority on older adults in addiction, Carol has appeared on the NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw and the Today Show. She has given numerous interviews on local television and radio talk shows.

As an active participant in policy development and groundbreaking studies for several national organizations, Carol continues her commitment to raising professional and public awareness of the special needs of older adults. As a member of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Task Force for the National Council on Aging, she helped to develop the 1999 "Engaging the Aging Services Network in Meeting Substance Abuse and Mental Health Needs of Older People." In l998, Carol participated in a comprehensive study, "Under the Rug: Substance Abuse and the Mature Woman," for the Center of Alcohol and Substance Abuse at Columbia University in New York, where she was a member of the advisory board.

Carol is an active member of the Millennium Assembly Task Force, a part of the U.N. Millennium General Assembly. In 2000, she presented her famous address, "Breaking the Silence: Substance Abuse in the Older Adult," during the National Council on Aging's 50th Annual Conference & Expo.

An author of two books and numerous articles, Carol has also produced videos in cooperation with The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) and participated in the award-winning PBS video series, "The Doctor Is In," produced by the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.

Carol is also active in the American Society of Aging and the Southern Gerontological Society and has worked with the American Bar Association. She began her career as a chemical dependency counselor with the Hazelden Foundation in Minnesota in 1988 and in 1991 earned both her National and International Certifications.

Carol's presentations and her famous keynote address, "Breaking the Silence," can be customized for workshops, seminars or conferences.

Carol can be contacted through:

Hanley-Hazelden Center at St Mary's 5200 East Avenue West Palm Beach, Florida 33407

Telephone: [phone] E-mail: [e-mail]