Hey there, folks! Are you ready to hear some interesting facts? Well, did you know that half of the senior citizens enrolled in Medicare take four or more prescription drugs every day? Yep, you heard that right! Now, you might be thinking, “what’s the big deal?” Well, older adults are often prescribed opioids to help with chronic pain or surgery recovery, as stated by the Administration for Community Living. And let’s face it, drugs affect older people more than younger ones, my friends. Plus, drugs have a longer-lasting effect on older folks, so things can get pretty problematic.

According to the CDC, drug overdose deaths are more common among younger adults, but the rates of overdose death are increasing the most among seniors aged 65 and up. Yikes, that’s not good news, is it? So, what can we do about it? Well, one solution could be to offer more mental health and substance abuse programmes to older people. You know, just to keep them on the straight and narrow, and out of harm’s way.

And if you’re still curious about this topic, go ahead and check out The Post’s “Big Number” series for more information. There’s clickable links and all that good stuff, just waiting for you to dive into. Don’t be shy, give it a try!

Serious News: washingtonpost