Silent Epidemic: Older Americans With Addiction Forsaken As Opioid Crisis Grips Nation
The many ramifications of the opioid epidemic on older adults range from a lack of beds in treatment facilities to a generational reluctance to seek help. In other news, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan is setting up a program as an alternative to jail for those convicted of nonviolent crimes related to an opioid addiction, and advocates call for jails and prisons to offer more comprehensive treatment options.
Stateline:
Older Addicts Squeezed by Opioid Epidemic
As the nation’s opioid addiction epidemic expands, older adults in Maine and other states face mounting barriers to getting help for abuse of alcohol and opioid painkillers — not the least of which is finding they are squeezed out of scarce treatment facilities by younger people with prescription drug or heroin habits. (Vestal, 7/26)
The Associated Press:
Grant Creates Alternative To Jail For Opioid Offenders
Gov. Larry Hogan is announcing a $540,000 state grant to test an alternative to incarceration for those convicted of nonviolent crimes linked to heroin or opioid addiction. It’s called a day reporting center, and it’s planned for a vacant office building near the Washington County Sheriff’s Office near Hagerstown. Hogan said in a statement Monday that the center will combine drug-addiction treatment with supervised probation. Offenders who are sent there will have to be employed or actively seeking employment. (7/25)
The Baltimore Sun:
Advocates Call On State To Offer Buprenorphine To Opioid Addicts In Jails, Prisons
As opioid addiction rises, public health advocates in Maryland are calling for more treatment where many addicts end up: in jails and prisons. In Maryland, only Baltimore and a few counties offer any treatment in their jails. The state-run jail in Baltimore offers only detoxification. The state offers some counseling in its prisons and continues detox for 21 days. But advocates and treatment professionals say it's not enough to keep addicts off the drugs over the long term. (Cohn, 7/25)
Meanwhile, a new study finds that misuse of medication is a rampant issue —
The Washington Post:
More Than Half Of Adults Misuse Medications, Study Finds
More than half of adults and 44 percent of children who were drug-tested by a national clinical laboratory last year misused their prescription medications, according to a study released Monday by Quest Diagnostics. Misuse of medications can mean that patients were either taking too much, too little or none of their medications. It also can mean test results showed they were using other drugs that had not been prescribed, including illicit drugs -- as 45 percent of adults were doing, the study found. (Kindy, 7/25)
