Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/992384
Opioidwarningforseniors Aseriousproblem: Opioidaddictionin the older population T hepublicisquickly learning that drug abuse goes beyond the illegal substances that are purchased on the street. Abuse of drugs extends to the prescription medications sitting in many medicine cabinets. While teenagers and young adults may be the first to be stereotyped as prescription drug abusers, seniors may have unwittingly become mixed up in one of the most misused prescription classes: opioid pain relievers. The problem of opioid abuse has been a growing issue for years. Older patients are increasingly and repeatedly prescribed opioids to address chronic pain from arthritis, cancer and other problems that become more apparent as people age. Data from U.S. Medicare recipients found that, in 2011, roughly 15 percent of seniors were prescribed an opioid after being discharged from the hospital. When followed up on three months later, 42 percent were still taking the medication. Fast forward to 2015, and almost one-third of all Medicare patients were prescribed opioid painkillers by their physicians, says AARP. AARP also indicates nearly 3 million Americans age 50 or older have started to take painkillers for reasons beyond what their doctors prescribed. Experts from the Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing warn that dependence on opioids can set in after just a few days. Discomfort and side effects can occur when the pills are stopped. Opioids can decrease pain at first, but many people find they can be less effective over time. As a result, patients need to take greater amounts. Although many people can take opioids in small doses for short periods of time without problems, many find themselves overcome by a troubling addiction. Some doctors prefer not to use opioids as a first line of treatment for chronic pain. If opioids are prescribed, ask for the lowest dose and don't exceed the time frame for taking the medicine. Only take the pills when absolutely necessary, and never mix opioids with alcohol or other substances. n ServingMarinandSonomaCounties 415.472.2637 heartlandhospice.com/SanRafael heartlandhospice.com/SantaRosa Hospicedoesn'tmean givinguphope. ©2018HCRHealthcare,LLC We are pleased to announce the completion of a major expansion of our facilities and services. We recently completed the construction of our new funeral home, reception room, crematory, and cemetery offices. In addition to our continued outstanding cemetery services we have offered for over the last forty years, we are now able to offer all final arrangements at one convenient location. Twenty-Four Hour Funeral Home Services • 24/hr. Funeral Home Services • Traditional and Contemporary Celebration of Life Services • Reception Center Seating for 130 People • Includes a Catering Kitchen • All Disposition Services; Burial, Entombment, Cremation, Inurnment, Upright Markers • Ceremonial Chapel and Family Visitation Chapel • On Site Crematory • Video Technology • Pre-arrangement Counseling and Insurance Funding for Future Expenses ValleyMemorialParkCemetery New Funeral Home and Reception Center Valley Memorial Park Cemetery & Funeral Home 650 Bugeia Lane Novato, California 94945 415-897-9609 www.valleymemorialpark.com • COA #377 FD #2295 Crypts&Niches Upright Markers Foyer Reception Room 14 June 10, 2018 Senior Living A Marketing Supplement of the Marin Independent Journal | marinij.com