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Still Distracted After All These Years: Help and Support for Older Adults with ADHD
One of the foremost ADHD experts tackles adult cases in the aging generation and offers a practical, helpful guide for those with and without a diagnosis Do you…
If some of these patterns sound familiar, you may have undiagnosed ADHD. ADHD in adults is one of the most common disorders. Living with ADHD in our later years is hugely influenced by multiple co-occurring issues, such as anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and learning disorders combined with a heightened level of stress, the presence or lack of support from others, and the number of people we are responsible for, can complicate and intensify the effects of ADHD.
The good news is that you’ve come to the right place to learn more about how older adults with ADHD can lead calmer, happier, more productive lives. Dr. Kathleen Nadeau, a foremost authority on ADHD, has been working with this underserved and underrepresented population. Dedicated to the health and wellbeing of today’s older adults with ADHD, Still Distracted After All These Years offers strategies to build a support system, gain better control over your daily life and create a more ADHD-friendly retirement.
If some of these patterns sound familiar, you may have undiagnosed ADHD. ADHD in adults is one of the most common disorders. Living with ADHD in our later years is hugely influenced by multiple co-occurring issues, such as anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and learning disorders combined with a heightened level of stress, the presence or lack of support from others, and the number of people we are responsible for, can complicate and intensify the effects of ADHD.
The good news is that you’ve come to the right place to learn more about how older adults with ADHD can lead calmer, happier, more productive lives. Dr. Kathleen Nadeau, a foremost authority on ADHD, has been working with this underserved and underrepresented population. Dedicated to the health and wellbeing of today’s older adults with ADHD, Still Distracted After All These Years offers strategies to build a support system, gain better control over your daily life and create a more ADHD-friendly retirement.
352 pages, Hardcover
Published October 4, 2022
103 people are currently reading
2183 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
July 5, 2022
What a helpful and informative book! This book will be a great resource for anyone in middle age or later who struggles with ADHD symptoms.
Many older adults were never diagnosed with ADHD but will see themselves in the behaviors listed. Nadeau talks about issues that can be especially difficult for adults with ADHD like difficulty keeping up with housework and finances, dealing with adult kids with ADHD who are still dependent and at home, having difficulties with affording to retire, overwhelmed with clutter and possessions and unable to downsize, losing a spouse who previously took care of things like bills and schedules, floundering without the structure of work after retirement, not being prescribed ADHD medicine by doctors who think stimulants are not safe for older folks or that they don't qualify, and much more.
While I'm not retirement age yet, I related to so much here and can see how this book would be so helpful to retirement aged folks with these issues. It's a validating book that acknowledges common struggles without any judgment and gives a ton of tools and suggestions to thrive in your later years even if you have ADHD -- financially, physically, socially, and more. Highly recommended.
I read a digital ARC of this book for review.
Many older adults were never diagnosed with ADHD but will see themselves in the behaviors listed. Nadeau talks about issues that can be especially difficult for adults with ADHD like difficulty keeping up with housework and finances, dealing with adult kids with ADHD who are still dependent and at home, having difficulties with affording to retire, overwhelmed with clutter and possessions and unable to downsize, losing a spouse who previously took care of things like bills and schedules, floundering without the structure of work after retirement, not being prescribed ADHD medicine by doctors who think stimulants are not safe for older folks or that they don't qualify, and much more.
While I'm not retirement age yet, I related to so much here and can see how this book would be so helpful to retirement aged folks with these issues. It's a validating book that acknowledges common struggles without any judgment and gives a ton of tools and suggestions to thrive in your later years even if you have ADHD -- financially, physically, socially, and more. Highly recommended.
I read a digital ARC of this book for review.
July 22, 2022
I really enjoyed this book and gave me more insight into my unofficial undiagnosed case of ADD. My oldest daughter at 31 has just been officially diagnosed with ADD and has started medication to assist her. I’ve am 65 years old and have lived my whole life not knowing why I was the way I was. This book has helped me in so many ways and gives me a lot more awareness of how I am and how to deal more effectively with my ADD. Thank you Kathleen G. Nadeau and NetGalley for an early arc copy of this book 📕 which I plan to purchase when it comes available for sale.
February 16, 2025
Although this book is targeted toward those of retirement age, the tips and strategies are universally applicable to adults of any age. This book is full of additional resources.
Edited (found my notes)-
What I liked- written in an easy to read format with brief chapters and big paragraph beadings.
Edited (found my notes)-
What I liked- written in an easy to read format with brief chapters and big paragraph beadings.
December 30, 2022
Would have been cool to have an ADHD perspective on non-monogamy/polyamory.
November 25, 2025
Helpful warm, understanding, and good articulations of the psycho emotional barriers to organized living for aging folks with ADHD. I found it insightful and touching to consider how cognitive decline, social isolation and other sort of "social worker" troubles can pose problems and ideas on how to address. While the author flags options say in decluttering for people without financial means to hire an expert, the solution assumes a pretty supportive network of people with time, energy, and desire to help. In other words, solutions are best for those with means.
Chapters are well organized and this gave good food for thought as well as ideas in dealing with aging loved ones and our own aging selves too.
I would love to hear her speak.
Chapters are well organized and this gave good food for thought as well as ideas in dealing with aging loved ones and our own aging selves too.
I would love to hear her speak.
February 5, 2023
Lots of great suggestions and information. I found myself screenshotting so many pages in this to come back to again later or to share with others.
March 6, 2023
I wanted to like this book. Truly, I did. My partner has profound ADHD and as we are both in our forties/fifties I thought it would be helpful.
It was not. All I can say is that if you are the neurotypical partner and are looking for ways to cope with the frustration and resentment stemming from your partner's ADHD, do not read this book. It will only make things worse. The author dismisses the very real ADHD issues- emotional volatility, interruptimg, forgetfulness, restlessness, distractibility, etc- as merely "quirks" and "foibles" and her only advice to the NT partner is, essentially, get used to disappointment. She actually encourages the ADHDer to use their partner for structure and tells the partner to "just" focus on the positives. She tells us not to regard them as having a disorder. Like, literally what. The second "D" in ADHD literally stands for disorder and sometimes reminding ourselves that they have an incurable psychiatric disability is the *only* way we can cope with them but oh no we cant do that, its "judging" And we should never "nag" them because it makes them feel "diminished" so when they don't listen and don't remember, we're supposed to just eat shit I guess.
The only upside was that I didn't actually waste any money on this ghastly tome. I won it in a goodreads giveaway (back in October, but it wasn't shipped until February, in true ADHD fashion 😐)
But hey if you're an ADHDer who says "that's just how I am" in response to NT people trying to address problem behaviors, you'll probably be really gratified by this book.
It was not. All I can say is that if you are the neurotypical partner and are looking for ways to cope with the frustration and resentment stemming from your partner's ADHD, do not read this book. It will only make things worse. The author dismisses the very real ADHD issues- emotional volatility, interruptimg, forgetfulness, restlessness, distractibility, etc- as merely "quirks" and "foibles" and her only advice to the NT partner is, essentially, get used to disappointment. She actually encourages the ADHDer to use their partner for structure and tells the partner to "just" focus on the positives. She tells us not to regard them as having a disorder. Like, literally what. The second "D" in ADHD literally stands for disorder and sometimes reminding ourselves that they have an incurable psychiatric disability is the *only* way we can cope with them but oh no we cant do that, its "judging" And we should never "nag" them because it makes them feel "diminished" so when they don't listen and don't remember, we're supposed to just eat shit I guess.
The only upside was that I didn't actually waste any money on this ghastly tome. I won it in a goodreads giveaway (back in October, but it wasn't shipped until February, in true ADHD fashion 😐)
But hey if you're an ADHDer who says "that's just how I am" in response to NT people trying to address problem behaviors, you'll probably be really gratified by this book.
December 19, 2022
Helpful for any adult or parent with ADHD. A must read!
This is one of the best books I’ve read about ADHD in years. I originally picked this up to learn more about ADHD for adults over 60 and found this information highly informative and useful for many different age groups. I particularly appreciated the information about parents and young adult children with ADHD. If you’re going to read one book, this is the one to pick up right now. The research is up to date, there are a boat load of resources and strategies, and most important: the lens of acceptance, understanding, and compassion shines through.
This is one of the best books I’ve read about ADHD in years. I originally picked this up to learn more about ADHD for adults over 60 and found this information highly informative and useful for many different age groups. I particularly appreciated the information about parents and young adult children with ADHD. If you’re going to read one book, this is the one to pick up right now. The research is up to date, there are a boat load of resources and strategies, and most important: the lens of acceptance, understanding, and compassion shines through.
April 21, 2023
Information and Solutions
This is one of the best books I’ve read about ADHD. As an adult in his 50s I read this book to help me cope with my new found diagnosis. But after reading it I’ve come away with great suggestions on suggestions for me but also my son who is a teen with ADHD. And these suggestions are not only logical, I can see myself implementing them. Which most people with ADHD would agree is huge! Thanks, Dr. Nadeau.
This is one of the best books I’ve read about ADHD. As an adult in his 50s I read this book to help me cope with my new found diagnosis. But after reading it I’ve come away with great suggestions on suggestions for me but also my son who is a teen with ADHD. And these suggestions are not only logical, I can see myself implementing them. Which most people with ADHD would agree is huge! Thanks, Dr. Nadeau.
July 12, 2024
I’m not quite the age of the target audience (not too far off though), but most of the ideas were universal enough. The book surprised me a bit though in that it was published in 2022 but read more like something from 2012 … or even 2002 at times. It was fine, but I’m hoping there are better reads out there.
January 2, 2025
The author is a well-known expert in ADHD, having ADHD herself. The book is full of helpful analysis and proactive steps on self-assessment and self-management. It is immensely helpful for anyone who has been recently diagnosed with ADHD or who is living with ADHD and looking for ways to increase self-awareness and quality of life.
February 5, 2025
This is a well thought out and structured book. Really appreciate the author made the effort to interview older people with ADHD and also structured her book understanding the neurodivergent mind.
I made the mistake of reading this as a book for adults rather than older adults (ie retirement age). Not everything was relevant to me right now but it still provided valuable insights
I made the mistake of reading this as a book for adults rather than older adults (ie retirement age). Not everything was relevant to me right now but it still provided valuable insights
November 16, 2022
I like the premise of this book: great information for those who have not been diagnosed until later in life. The focus on medication with behavioral changes is great--it's so important to consider both when living with this condition.
July 8, 2024
Originally I was not sure of the population this book would cover when I bought it. However, it was well written, informative and provided helpful information for ADHD at any age… keeping this in my back pocket for dissertation help
March 11, 2025
I wasn't sure how useful I was going to find this book, as I'm much younger than the target audience. However the information is good, there were lots of points that resonated with me, and it's given me a lot of interesting things to think about.
July 7, 2025
Most of book has solid & helpful info = 3.5-4 stars.
No stars for the terrible chpt 5 w inaccurate medical information, which is very sad. Older adults tend to have more medical complexity requiring greater caution & detailed attention when prescribing stimulants.
No stars for the terrible chpt 5 w inaccurate medical information, which is very sad. Older adults tend to have more medical complexity requiring greater caution & detailed attention when prescribing stimulants.
October 29, 2025
More for retirees than people in their 50s like me. Also, very heteronormative and traditional (every woman mentioned has kids).
Resources are of course all US-based and outside of free online information, did not meet my needs.
Resources are of course all US-based and outside of free online information, did not meet my needs.
January 11, 2023
Super informative and helpful!
January 23, 2023
Non ND author but important topic
February 18, 2023
Definitely some helpful info here for us older folks.
August 4, 2023
This was good! Not quite applicable to me as much as it was mostly about retirement aged adults but there were still some good takeaways
May 22, 2024
Awesome
Read
December 31, 2024Very helpful for me! Thanks for the read. Especially the part that mentions how greenery and mediation are so helpful in combating ADHD. Wonderful tips 👏
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 14, 2025
4-1/2 stars!
June 3, 2025
Very helpful
I got diagnosed at 64. This book helps explain so many of my quirks and how to deal with them
I got diagnosed at 64. This book helps explain so many of my quirks and how to deal with them
May 19, 2024
PHENOMENAL. I would give it 10/5 stars if I could.
Honestly, I bought it pre-release, and will buy it on ebook if it goes on sale. One of the best books - if not THE best book - for older people with / suspect they have ADHD.
If you have ADHD, suspect you have ADHD or know someone older (45+) with ADHD, then this book is for you. If you're on the younger side, you may well avoid some of the common pitfalls that (especially non-diagnosed) ADHDers may likely encounter. If you are on the older side, then this book will still give you plenty of ideas on how to live your best life, even when it seems that it is just passing you by.
If you don't know if you have ADHD, the Appendix has extremely useful questionnaires to give you a better idea of whether it is worth considering a formal diagnosis, and an incredible chart to document the daily effects of medication when you get there.
Dr. Kathleen Nadeau is one of the few ADHD specialists to focus on women with ADHD and older women (and men) with ADHD. She has written several non-fiction books in the subject, all intentionally designed to be very readable FOR people with ADHD, and this latest does not disappoint!
Honestly, I bought it pre-release, and will buy it on ebook if it goes on sale. One of the best books - if not THE best book - for older people with / suspect they have ADHD.
If you have ADHD, suspect you have ADHD or know someone older (45+) with ADHD, then this book is for you. If you're on the younger side, you may well avoid some of the common pitfalls that (especially non-diagnosed) ADHDers may likely encounter. If you are on the older side, then this book will still give you plenty of ideas on how to live your best life, even when it seems that it is just passing you by.
If you don't know if you have ADHD, the Appendix has extremely useful questionnaires to give you a better idea of whether it is worth considering a formal diagnosis, and an incredible chart to document the daily effects of medication when you get there.
Dr. Kathleen Nadeau is one of the few ADHD specialists to focus on women with ADHD and older women (and men) with ADHD. She has written several non-fiction books in the subject, all intentionally designed to be very readable FOR people with ADHD, and this latest does not disappoint!
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews