Drug overdose deaths amongst seniors have greater than tripled in 2 many years

Deaths from drug and alcohol use are rising amongst America’s seniors.

Drug overdose deaths greater than tripled amongst individuals age 65 and older throughout the previous twenty years whereas deaths from alcohol abuse elevated greater than 18% from 2019 to 2020, in response to information printed Wednesday by the Nationwide Heart for Well being Statistics.

Greater than 800,000 seniors suffered from drug dependancy and a pair of.7 million suffered from alcohol dependancy in 2020, in response to separate information from the Well being and Human Providers Division.

In whole, greater than 5,000 seniors died of drug overdoses in 2020 and greater than 11,600 succumbed to alcohol, in response to the NCHS information. Although drug overdose dying charges are decrease for seniors than different age teams, they’ve elevated considerably from 2.4 per 100,000 in 2000 to eight.8 per 100,000 in 2020.

“We have got a public well being drawback coming at our door — these tendencies have been rising for a very long time now,” mentioned Alexis Kuerbis, a professor on the Silberman College of Social Work and an professional on substance use amongst older adults.

Seniors at this time are child boomers, a era that had a way more open perspective towards medication and alcohol than their dad and mom, Kuerbis mentioned. Some child boomers have carried alcohol and drug habits from their youth and center age into their later years when their our bodies are now not in a position to tolerate them, she mentioned.

“Child boomers clearly are very totally different era than the silent era or the World Struggle II era,” Kuerbis mentioned. “Child boomers had been much more open to utilizing alcohol and medicines throughout their youthful years but additionally by means of their middle-aged years and now they’re older adults,” she mentioned.

Deaths from fentanyl and different artificial opioids elevated 53% amongst seniors from 2019 to 2020, in response to the information. Kuerbis mentioned there’s some proof to recommend individuals who had been prescribed opioids of their center age for an damage later switched to fentanyl as soon as it grew to become tougher to get a prescription.

Whereas some drug deaths amongst seniors are from unintentional misuse of medicine, many are suicides from overdosing on opioids, Kuerbis mentioned. Though seniors are usually happier than youthful adults, in addition they have a better prevalence of persistent ache, terminal sickness and dementia, she mentioned.

Some older adults additionally use medication or alcohol to deal with main life modifications akin to retirement, grief and loss, or a change of their dwelling scenario, in response to the Nationwide Institute of Drug Abuse.

Drug overdose deaths had been highest amongst Black seniors. The dying fee from medication amongst Black males ages 65 to 74 was greater than 4 instances greater than Hispanic or white males in that age group, in response to the information. Black girls ages 65 to 74 died extra usually from drug overdoses than white and Hispanic girls. White girls older than 75 had a better dying fee from medication than Black and Hispanic girls.

Alcohol deaths had been highest amongst American Indian seniors adopted by Hispanics, white People, Black People and Asian People, in response to the information.