Although drug and alcohol abuse appears to be a burgeoning problem among the elderly, many service professionals remain uninformed or unconcerned about it. This study surveyed perceptions of the causes, severity and best way to deal with elderly substance abuse as reported by a representative sample of 30 drug-abuse, health care, and social service practitioners in one Midwestern community. Perceptions differed as a function of both the basic type of services an agency provided and its specific response to older abusers. Prospects for an effective community response to the problem are discussed in light of these differences.