New Survey Spotlights Older Adults' Struggle in Opioid Epidemic

A National Council on Aging (NCOA) survey of over 200 community-based nonprofit organizations in their aging network from 40 states and Puerto Rico found 70 percent of organizations are spending more time dealing with opioid-related issues affecting older adults or their caregivers, reports Next Avenue . One in five noted they have increased their efforts by over 25 percent to help their older clients and caregivers cope with opioid-related issues. Some approaches involve holding evaluations to identify problems, referrals to treatment programs, individual and group counseling, and teaming with other community groups to meet the challenge. One observed trend is that doctor-prescribed opioids and refills given to older men and women for pain management are increasingly creating needless dependency issues due to over-prescribing and a lack of education about the ramifications. Among the non-opioid alternatives NCOA suggested for treating chronic pain is exercise, cognitive behavioral therapy, and complementary/alternative approaches like acupuncture or tai chi.