Opioid-Related Crime Takes Toll on Older Adults Across NC

Older residents are paying a heavy price for the opioid epidemic in North Carolina, with some selling their own prescriptions to finance their upkeep, reports North Carolina Health News . People who work with seniors note opioid-related crimes can include financial fraud and drug theft in places that include long-term care communities. "We've been urging older adults to lock up their medicines," says Triangle J Area Agency on Aging Director Mary Warren. "The person who's likely to help herself to your prescription could be your granddaughter or your caregiver." The Department of Health and Human Services' response to prescription medication misuse has been the federally-funded Lock Your Meds campaign. Widely reported trends indicate a new generation of seniors may be hard up for cash because they never returned to pre-recession salaries, are missing a defined benefit pension, or have low incomes in retirement, which unfortunately does not prevent younger relatives from stealing from them. Even younger abusers who want treatment are vulnerable to "patient brokering," which the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers describes as "an illegal act where an addict, or a lead relating to a prospective addict, is traded to a treatment provider in exchange for money and/or perks." An older family member can end up assuming the cost of this treatment. "Recent reports indicate that individuals known as 'patient brokers' are treating individuals seeking treatment for their opioid addiction as a commodity, rather than helping them receive legitimate treatment and ultimately achieve recovery," notes the House Energy and Commerce Committee.