Accidental Overdose Among Seniors Is a Growing Concern

By Vicky Gemme

Overdose mortality among seniors aged 65 and older is a growing concern. In the past 20 years, overdose deaths among seniors have quadrupled. Deaths have stemmed from both suicides and accidental overdose.

Research data has shown that nearly three-fourths of unintended overdoses involve illicit drugs like synthetic opioids, heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine. In addition, close to 70% of intentional overdoses involved prescription opioids, benzodiazepines, sedatives, and anti-depressants.

Other research has shown that among adults aged 55 and older, the annual rate of unintentional drug overdose death increased from 1.8 per 100,000 in 1999 to 23.17 per 100,000 population in 2021.

This has become an increasing problem. Fortunately, drug education and education on medication management is an effective solution.

What Are the Risks and Contributing Factors?

Many seniors have a complex medication regimen and are taking several medications simultaneously. Unfortunately, this increases the risk of drug interactions and accidental overdose. Aging also affects how a body processes medications, such as liver and kidney function changes.

Seniors often struggle with cognitive decline, which can make managing medications challenging as they may forget to take a dose or double up on a medication. Even in the age of expanded communication, there are massive communication gaps between healthcare providers and patients.

For instance, important details about potential interactions or side effects are not adequately conveyed, which often leads to misunderstandings about how to properly use medications. Moreover, it’s crucial to have regular reviews of medications. A simple reassessment can expose the potential for harmful interactions.

There is A Need for Comprehensive Education

Whether the education involves drug education and prevention, which is valuable for seniors, or comprehensive education on medication management, knowing more reduces the risks.

For example, medication instructions should be simple and clear and even tailored to the client’s cognitive abilities. Everything should be easy to read, and dosing schedules and explanations of potential side effects should be explicit, clear, and precise.

Technology should be embraced and used to implement medication management systems. This could involve pill organizations, alarms, or electronic reminders for regular medication reviews. Healthcare providers are responsible for their patients conducting regular reviews of the prescribed medications.

In addition, patient and caregiver education is critical to ensure the patient is adhering to the prescribed dose. Caregivers should be able to recognize side effects and understand the potential interactions between medications.

Communication with healthcare providers should not be challenging or be faced with barriers. Ideally, healthcare providers should check in with their patients regularly. This can be especially important when a patient has a complete medication regimen. Additional layers of oversight could also involve pharmacy consultations and geriatric care managers.

In Conclusion

Accidental overdose among seniors is preventable. While it requires a multifaceted approach, caregivers and healthcare providers can implement clear and accessible education, regular medication reviews, and effective communication with patients. By simply strengthening education, communication, and support, we can prevent the dangers of medication mismanagement and accidental overdose.

Excellent Care, Decency, and Optimal Living (ECDOL) is a website created to help individuals find the right care for themselves and their loved ones.

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