POLICY SERIES: THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC AND OLDER ADULTS: PATHWAYS TO ELDER ABUSE AND JUSTICE

Abstract

Although no part of the country is spared, the opioid crisis has been particularly rampant in rural US counties, where approximately one out of four adults aged 65+ live. As a group, older adults often have multiple chronic conditions and high rates of chronic pain for which opioids are frequently prescribed. Misuse of these drugs leads to devastating results, including premature death. In addition, the opioid crises infiltrates the lives of older adults though the addiction of their family members. As a result, the potential relationship between opioid misuse and elder abuse is starting to receive national attention. The three papers in this symposium advance an understanding of the opioid epidemic as it exacerbates the problem of elder abuse. The goal of this symposium is to examine the impact of the opioid crisis on older adults and their families living in rural America, its pathways, and intervention and prevention strategies. In the first paper, Karen Roberto uses both scientific and population literature to investigate health and well-being effects of opioids on the lives of older adults and their families. The second paper, presented by Pamela Teaster, discusses the results of four focus groups in four states with county-level agency participants knowledgeable about how the opioid problem affects elder abuse in rural areas. The third paper, by Robert Blancato, focuses on the need for action to address the problem on federal, state, and local levels in order to improve identification, awareness, and remediation of the opioid problem in late life.