The most common health news stories of the past year (unfortunately) were about the epidemic of opioid abuse in America. This problem is so bad and so widespread that it may be responsible for the decline in Americans’ life expectancy seen for two years in a row.
Most of these stories were about young or middle-aged people who had become addicted to pain pills, but people over 60 are also falling victim to opioid addiction. Seniors can be victimized by opioid addiction in two ways: directly through addiction themselves or indirectly by having to take up family responsibilities that their addicted children are no longer able to meet.
Prescribed Opioid Medication
Actually, seniors are the age group most likely to be prescribed opioid medication by well-meaning doctors. If you think about this, it makes sense, because this is the age group most likely to suffer from pain producing illnesses like arthritis or to be recovering from surgery. It was once thought that seniors were less likely to become addicted than were younger patients. As late as 2009, the American Geriatric Society endorsed the use of opioids to treat moderate pain in seniors. They have changed those guidelines, but some doctors still hold this misimpression.
Get Help
The lesson is that seniors need to be as cautious as any age group when dealing with these drugs. This is one more reminder that entering senior life involves both opportunities and challenges. No one knows this better than the professionals at OurSeniors.net. In 2018, let OurSeniors.net be your guide to meeting those challenges and finding the opportunities as well. OurSeniors.net can help you find-
- Senior home care
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- Medicare assisted living
- A Florida attorney, Florida CPA or senior real estate specialist
Use this contact link, Contact Us, or call us at 866-333-2657 to talk to an OurSeniors.net advisor (Se Habla Español). Thank you for reading our blog and check out our website at OurSeniors.net and take an online look at our senior living magazine, OurSeniors.net Magazine by clicking its link.
