Drug Abuse Among Seniors Grows

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration estimates that opioid abuse nearly doubled among Americans over age 50 between 2002 and 2014 even as it declined among 18- to 25-year-olds, reports the Washington Post . At last week's hearing by the Senate Special Committee on Aging, lawmakers noted that senior addicts tend to be overlooked. "In 2016, one in three people with a Medicare prescription drug plan received an opioid prescription," said Sen. Robert P. Casey Jr. (D-Pa.). "This puts baby boomers and our oldest generation at great risk." Experts also testified that Medicare makes the epidemic worse by funding needed opioids that can be abused, without funding the care and medicines to combat addiction. "Medicare does not pay for drug and alcohol treatment in most instances, nor does it pay for all of the medications that are used to help people in the treatment and recovery process," stressed Pennsylvania Recovery Organizations Alliance Executive Director William B. Stauffer. "Methadone, specifically, is a medication that is not covered by Medicare to treat opioid use conditions." Stauffer also noted older adults are at high risk for drug misuse because of pain, sleep disorders/insomnia, and anxiety. "They are more likely to receive prescriptions for psychoactive medications with misuse potential, such as opioid analgesics for pain and central nervous system depressants like benzodiazepines for sleep disorders and anxiety," he said.