Rick Meeker is a Community Living Manager with the Ohio District 5 Area on Agency. Rick talks Opioid Abuse & Mental Health Awareness in Senior Citizens in the latest podcast. You can find more information by going online to aaa5Ohio.org or by calling 419 - 524 - 4144.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
We welcome you back to another edition of the latest
podcast from the Ohio District five Area Agency on Aging
called Age with Us and Against. We had a couple
of podcasts ago. It's back with Us with some very
important information. We're going to talk about opioid abuse and
mental health awareness in senior citizens. We welcome back to
(00:22):
the program, Community Living Supervisor Rick Meeker. Rick, first of all,
thanks for coming back in.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Thank you for having me. Thank you.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Absolutely a very important topic is somebody hears us say
opioid abuse. We've heard a lot about that. We're going
to talk you know, about seniors and very important information.
So let's kind of begin at the top if you
could discuss just a little bit overall about opioids.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Sure, and there's a lot of information out there in
reference to opioids, and we understand too for a lot
of folks they're very effective as a pain reliever. There
are folks who who are living with chronic pain where
they might be prescribed things like oxycodin, hydrocodin, which is
vicodin codeine. We're hearing more about fentanyl as well. But
(01:10):
then also it includes some other things that folks might
have heard of about heroin. But basically, when they're taken
to the body, they go through the blood stream and
they attach to opioid receptors, most common being Mu, kappa
and delta. They bond very strongly to the MEU receptors.
They're very effective with the way that they work at
(01:31):
blocking pain messages that are sent through the neurons, so
again they work to go ahead and relieve that pain,
very effective at that. The other thing that they do
is because when they bind, they activate dopamine, which increases
feelings of pleasure euphoria, and they increase levels of endorphins
as well, So again they have a really strong psychological
(01:53):
component because of the feelings of euphoria that they produce.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
We are hearing this morning from the Ohio District five
Agency on aging, very important topic about opioid abuse, and
we are talking with Community Living Manager Rick Meeker again
opioid abuse. We're going to talk about mental health awareness,
you know in senior citizens. But I guess as we
go from the top, let's talk about the opioid crisis.
(02:20):
More importantly, the impact with older adults and as.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
We age, there is an increased chance that we may
developed illnesses or conditions which one could be prescribed opioids. Four.
Sometimes we see folks develop neuropathy. There's other conditions as well.
With fibromyalgia. For some people it might be they had
to have a surgery, a procedure where again they were
prescribed opioids because of the intense pain associated with that.
(02:48):
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality standing basically for
a AHRQ, they found in twenty twenty one that twelve
point eight percent of adults age sixty five and over
filled at least one outpatient opioid prescription, and there were
four point four percent that filled four or more. The
National Survey of Drug Use and Health suggested that nearly
(03:10):
four million older adults are living with substance use disorder.
So definitely something we're seeing with our older adults again
because the likelihood that they're being prescribed opioids, living with
a condition that would basically cause a opioid prescription that
increases with age. One of the things too. In Richland
County specifically, older adults age fifty and over have had
(03:34):
the highest rate of overdose deaths.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
So when somebody hears opioids, you talk about being used
for pain, you're talking about I guess the high addiction potential.
So that's the concern there, right, you need this to
help alleviate that pain. But there is that potential there.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Yes, there is. And again because sometimes with a lot
of substances being used, whether it's opioids, whether it's alcohol,
whether it's another substance, sometimes it becomes an alleviation of
something for folks. So we talk about opioid specifically. Again,
it has a positive benefit in that it alleviates pain,
(04:14):
that's true, but for some individuals too, especially for folks
that might be struggling with mental illness, there's a lot
of emotional pain associated with that. For some individuals, we
see that there could be depression that would occur with that.
So for some individuals, using opioids allows an escape and
for them because not only am I using opioids and
(04:34):
I have this where there's an inhibition of firing those
pain signals in my body, but also I look and
I have a chemical feeling of euphoria that's produced because
of the effects of opioids going in, so my mood
can elevate. So in essence, I can really form a
strong psychological dependence on the opioids.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
We're hearing this morning some very important information a very
important topic about opioid abuse. We're talking also about mental
health awareness in senior citizens. This is the latest podcast
of course, from the Ohio District five Area Agency on
Aging Community Living. Supervisor Rick Meeker is with us this morning.
So we're going to give a lot of information about
(05:17):
education and information that you guys have. You guys cover
a nine county region here in the area, so you
brought up mental illness.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
Opioid misuse and dependence can really have a cause for
someone to feel irritable and agitated. Long term use can
change a person's behavior and personality. For individuals with opioid
misuse and dependence, they may become socially withdrawn and that
can cause them to become increasingly irritable a hostile. So
(05:45):
already with opioid misuse abuse, we can look at people
that might become more agitated. So that can be very
difficult for family, friends, and others in a social network
to be around that individual. So that's going to cause
them to become socially isolated withdrawn. Will you take a
look at some of the symptoms of depression, some of
what can occur social isolation definitely huge thing. When we
(06:08):
look at depression, depression and opioid use, and opioid use
disorder commonly co occur, and it is estimated that approximately
seven point eight million adults have psychiatric disorders such as
depression and anxiety and receive over half of the nearly
two hundred million yearly opioid prescriptions. For some individuals too,
(06:29):
because we're looking at that correlation between depression and opioid use,
some of the things we may observe as well is
you have somebody that kept themselves very meticulous in their appearance.
Suddenly now we're looking and we're seeing people that are
becoming dishoveled and that maybe they haven't bathed, and we're
(06:51):
looking at kind of that level of neglect sometimes, and
this is really some of the challenge when working with
older adults. There can be some stereotypes that go around, well,
that's just you know, this individual, they're just getting older.
This is just the case of that. But that's not
necessarily the case, and sometimes it's due to mental illness.
Sometimes it's due to opioid use abuse. So sometimes it's
(07:14):
those struggles that are continuing that decline. So we can't
necessarily state that, oh, yes, this sudden, rapid decline is
due to some age related cause.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
So as you bring up some of these examples, these
are things to watch out for. Then, as you mentioned,
maybe something all of a sudden changes right where this
doesn't look to be the norm for that person.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
Right, yes, absolutely, And it's one of the things we
talk about to Another program that I supervise and a
few of our counties is our Adult Protective Services program.
And one of the things too that we take a
look at is huge what's the baseline for that individual
if suddenly and again I understand that it's a very
subjective term when I talk about someone being unkept. So
(07:57):
if this is the way that I normally appeared, I
normally kept myself. If again I looked meticulous, I show
up dressed up all the time, and again I take care,
I'm groomed, shaven, my hair is washed, And then I
notice a rapid decline in those areas. Now I understand
that there's a disruption to the baseline. So it's good
(08:18):
to be able to explore what's the cause. And sometimes
again that could be due to mental illness. For a
lot of our older adults as we age, there's a
lot of changes, a lot of challenges, stressors that they
deal with and that they go through. Really we saw
that in a really big way manifested during the COVID pandemic,
(08:39):
as there was a lot of disruption to the way
that they were able to communicate and interact with others. That
really had a huge impact and exacerbated some symptoms of
mental illness. For some individuals, they might have started experiencing
symptoms of depression, they might have developed anxiety because of
just some of those social changes. But as we age,
when you take a look at losses that folks endure,
(09:01):
and it could be a loss and occupation, it could
be a loss of a family member, other stressors and challenges,
some physical declines, it can definitely contribute to some of
those factors which would lead to mental illness. And for
some of those individuals, if I'm recognizing that opioid's had
this positive effect for pain that I have been prescribed for,
(09:22):
there can be a temptation to go ahead and use
to be able to cope with that, So that could
contribute to some of those immediate changes that we were
talking about.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
The Ohio District five Area Agency on Aging is in
the studio this morning with a very important topic on
their latest episode of their podcast. We're talking about opioid
abuse and mental health awareness in senior citizens. Our guest
is Rick Meeker, a community living supervisor again Ohio District
(09:51):
five Area Agency on Aging. Their website AAA, so that's
three a's the number five Ohio dot org. For more information,
you can also call four one nine five two for
forty one forty four Rick. While we're on this topic,
is there a unique or any unique risk for older adults?
Speaker 2 (10:09):
Absolutely? And the information I'm gonna just discuss is from
the Russian Institute from Chicago, and they've provided a lot
of education for folks when it comes to some of
the unique challenges facing our older adults. And one of
the things that's been noted as we age, kidney and
liver mass decline, muscle mass declines, there can be a
(10:30):
decline in hearing and vision. As we age, we have
an increased chance to be prescribed opioids for chronic pain.
We also may be diagnosed with more health conditions which
we may get prescribe medications for. As I mentioned earlier,
there is an increased risk that I may have a
medication that might exacerbate the effects of opioids. One struggle
that for some older adults they might have the beginning
(10:52):
stages of dementia and maybe for them they've just been
prescribed this medication, they may forget if they've taken the medication.
So that does contribute to the risk as well. Due
to the physiology of aging, one is that greater risk
for worsening side effects, which also could include confusion and
falls for folks.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Very important information this morning again as we hear from
the Ohio District five Area Agency on aging. Now, is
we talk about opioid misuse overdose risk? Can this be
minimized for older adults? Do you have any information there?
Speaker 2 (11:26):
Absolutely? And education is huge. We always recommend to that
whenever anybody is prescribed and I know we're talking about opioids,
but it doesn't matter if it's an opioid, a benzodiazepine,
whatever medication that someone is being prescribed. Education is really huge,
so for older adults, for caregivers whoever might be going
(11:47):
and having a conversation with the doctor the nurse, making
sure to really understand what have you been prescribed, what
are the side effects and the risk, because that's going
to really be that education piece can really help prevent
a lot of struggles that folks may have. Russian Institute
also in Chicago advise that one of the key factors
contributing opioid overdoses with older adults is that they're unaware
(12:10):
of the risk. So again that education is huge. Sometimes
the education can help as well because there can be
a stigma with opioid dependence and addiction. I know we've
been talking a lot about opioid use and older adults,
and part of it is to really throughout our efforts
is to try to help address that stigma that this
is just a problem that affects younger people, and that
(12:32):
this is just a problem because it's just somebody doesn't
have the willpower to be able to stop. That's not
the factor. With opioids. They have a very very very
very strong addiction potential purely because again they eliminate pain,
and if I'm going through physical pain, emotional pain strong
Also I have a feeling of euphoria, so again there's
(12:55):
that psychological It makes me feel better, so I want
to go ahead and use, and I have to use
increasing and increasing doses so again recognizing that that can
happen anybody with all ages, and it doesn't mean that
somebody is weak or not. It's again it can be
a huge struggle based on the nature of opioids themselves.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
Rick Meeker is behind the microphone with us today. He
is from the Ohio District five Area Agency on Aging.
He is a Community living supervisor. Talking about opioids. You
mentioned the word education. Somebody listening in the nine county
region they can reach out to the Ohio District five
for information. Correct.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
Absolutely, there's a lot of resources available for treatment in
all of our nine counties. So if this is something
that somebody is struggling with, maybe you know somebody that's
struggling with some of the issues that we've been discussing,
please we encourage you to reach out get that information,
to get help as soon as possible.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
Again, the website is AAA, the number five Ohio dot
org and the telephone number they'll get you in touch
with the right person four one nine five two four
forty one forty four. Before I let you go, you
mentioned treatment options. Can you share a little bit about that.
I guess what is available.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
And there's a lot of different options that are available,
and again, some of what I'm going to discuss, it
doesn't mean that that's what that person would want to
use or be beneficial for that person. Now, there is
scientific evidence that shows that if a person does develop
a disorder involving substance use, including opioid use disorder, it
can be treated effectively and recovery as possible. Treatment requires
(14:33):
a comprehensive, interdisciplinary set of solutions. This can include treating
a person's individual needs, including pain control, providing readily available treatment,
including medication assisted treatment for opioid use disorder, ensuring sufficient
length of time, and providing necessary behavioral therapies. So again,
it doesn't mean there are some people that might be
(14:54):
opposed to some treatments, some people that there might be
a better outcome with another treatment. For some individuals, for example,
I know we've been talking about a lot of people
that are living with chronic pain. Just because I eliminate
the opioid use misuse for some individuals that might be
abusing opioids, it doesn't mean that the pain went away.
So it does mean maybe there are other things that
(15:16):
we have to consider to take a look at some
pain management strategies and we have to take a look
at what's effective for individuals. For some individuals, exercise might
be helpful. There are tai chip programs. An Airy Agency
on Aging is aware of some of those programs in
the area. As a matter of fact, we help to
facilitate some of those programs too, to give people that option. Also,
(15:39):
sometimes being able to go to those groups can be
very beneficial because, as I mentioned before, because of agitation irritability,
there can be a difficult time with having good social supports,
which becomes key to treatment. So being able to go
to some of these groups, be able to participate and
not saying that I need to use it to where
(16:00):
I tell people about what I'm going through. Some people
may or and it may not be comfortable with that,
but at least to get out and start to socialize
can be huge. So maybe I can get to the
point where I'm able to talk to other people about
the struggles that I have. Being able to see mental
health therapists that can help me to address find those
triggers can be very helpful as well. But again, one
of the things that I can't stress enough is that
(16:24):
it's important to take a look at the individuals from
an interdisciplinary approach, in other words, taking a look at
the whole person. Yes, there might be a physical component,
there's a psychological component, there can be a social component,
and treatment options for individuals will include and take a
look at that whole person. What is it that's impacting
that person. So for folks that are listening and maybe
(16:45):
they do need treatment, it's not we're not going to
put you in a box. This is going to be
to where when we take a look at this, what
works best for you? Those options that I mentioned, what
are going to be the best options to help you?
Speaker 1 (16:58):
You mentioned options helpful as well. The Ohio District five
Area Agency on Aging with a lot of important information
education you mentioned classes. We're talking about opioid abuse and
mental health awareness in senior citizens. Will keep them for
just a moment longer. Rick Meeker with US Community Living
Supervisor again, Ohio District five Area Agency on Aging, nine
(17:19):
counties here locally, of course, you know, based Ontario Hawkins Corner.
Is there anything we missed in terms of opioids that
you want to share seniors that we haven't touched on
yet here today.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
And we've covered a lot and definitely appreciate the time
and the opportunity. Again, the biggest thing I want to
stress to go back to is for folks that are
struggling with this, family members and maybe you see a
family member that's struggling with this, there is help, there
is support, and we encourage you to reach out because again,
this can be really painful. This can be a huge
(17:53):
stressor for family members caregivers. I talked about the sudden
change earlier with the physical I might notice that suddenly
they're not keeping up with themselves. I talked about that,
but again when it comes to some of the changes
in behavior, that can be really hard when we see
our loved ones going through that, and sometimes that gets
(18:16):
overlooked as well. This is just an association within its
age related that may not be the case. So if
you are struggling with and you've noticed these behaviors where
they're becoming agitated, irritable, this hasn't happened before. There are resources.
We encourage you reach out to area agency on aging
(18:36):
and as we've mentioned before, with the contact information, you
can feel free to reach us on our website or
our phone number. We also encourage you to talk to
your doctors and medical staff as well. So any providers
you have getting that education we talked about earlier is
going to be key to be able to help as well.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
The website is AAA SO three a's the number five
oh Hi dot org and you can call at four
one nine five two four forty one forty four and
you can again find a lot of great information and
somebody can help you out with the Ohio District five
Area Agency on Aging. They cover nine counties locally and
(19:15):
very important information. On their latest episode here of their
podcast on iHeartRadio Age with Us as we talk about
opioid abuse and mental health awareness in senior citizens. Our
guest has been Rick Meeker, Community Living Supervisoral. Rick, you
always have a lot of very important information. Thank you
so much for being here and sharing it today.
Speaker 2 (19:34):
Thank you again for the opportunity appreciate it. Thank you,
We welcome you back to another edition of the latest
podcast from the Ohio District five Area Agency on Aging
called Age with Us and Against. We had a couple
of podcasts ago. It's back with Us with some very
important information. We're going to talk about opioid abuse and
mental health awareness in senior citizens. We welcome back to
(00:22):
the program, Community Living Supervisor Rick Meeker. Rick, first of all,
thanks for coming back in.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Thank you for having me. Thank you.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Absolutely a very important topic is somebody hears us say
opioid abuse. We've heard a lot about that. We're going
to talk you know, about seniors and very important information.
So let's kind of begin at the top if you
could discuss just a little bit overall about opioids.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Sure, and there's a lot of information out there in
reference to opioids, and we understand too for a lot
of folks they're very effective as a pain reliever. There
are folks who who are living with chronic pain where
they might be prescribed things like oxycodin, hydrocodin, which is
vicodin codeine. We're hearing more about fentanyl as well. But
(01:10):
then also it includes some other things that folks might
have heard of about heroin. But basically, when they're taken
to the body, they go through the blood stream and
they attach to opioid receptors, most common being Mu, kappa
and delta. They bond very strongly to the MEU receptors.
They're very effective with the way that they work at
(01:31):
blocking pain messages that are sent through the neurons, so
again they work to go ahead and relieve that pain,
very effective at that. The other thing that they do
is because when they bind, they activate dopamine, which increases
feelings of pleasure euphoria, and they increase levels of endorphins
as well, So again they have a really strong psychological
(01:53):
component because of the feelings of euphoria that they produce.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
We are hearing this morning from the Ohio District five
Agency on aging, very important topic about opioid abuse, and
we are talking with Community Living Manager Rick Meeker again
opioid abuse. We're going to talk about mental health awareness,
you know in senior citizens. But I guess as we
go from the top, let's talk about the opioid crisis.
(02:20):
More importantly, the impact with older adults and as.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
We age, there is an increased chance that we may
developed illnesses or conditions which one could be prescribed opioids. Four.
Sometimes we see folks develop neuropathy. There's other conditions as well.
With fibromyalgia. For some people it might be they had
to have a surgery, a procedure where again they were
prescribed opioids because of the intense pain associated with that.
(02:48):
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality standing basically for
a AHRQ, they found in twenty twenty one that twelve
point eight percent of adults age sixty five and over
filled at least one outpatient opioid prescription, and there were
four point four percent that filled four or more. The
National Survey of Drug Use and Health suggested that nearly
(03:10):
four million older adults are living with substance use disorder.
So definitely something we're seeing with our older adults again
because the likelihood that they're being prescribed opioids, living with
a condition that would basically cause a opioid prescription that
increases with age. One of the things too. In Richland
County specifically, older adults age fifty and over have had
(03:34):
the highest rate of overdose deaths.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
So when somebody hears opioids, you talk about being used
for pain, you're talking about I guess the high addiction potential.
So that's the concern there, right, you need this to
help alleviate that pain. But there is that potential there.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Yes, there is. And again because sometimes with a lot
of substances being used, whether it's opioids, whether it's alcohol,
whether it's another substance, sometimes it becomes an alleviation of
something for folks. So we talk about opioid specifically. Again,
it has a positive benefit in that it alleviates pain,
(04:14):
that's true, but for some individuals too, especially for folks
that might be struggling with mental illness, there's a lot
of emotional pain associated with that. For some individuals, we
see that there could be depression that would occur with that.
So for some individuals, using opioids allows an escape and
for them because not only am I using opioids and
(04:34):
I have this where there's an inhibition of firing those
pain signals in my body, but also I look and
I have a chemical feeling of euphoria that's produced because
of the effects of opioids going in, so my mood
can elevate. So in essence, I can really form a
strong psychological dependence on the opioids.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
We're hearing this morning some very important information a very
important topic about opioid abuse. We're talking also about mental
health awareness in senior citizens. This is the latest podcast
of course, from the Ohio District five Area Agency on
Aging Community Living. Supervisor Rick Meeker is with us this morning.
So we're going to give a lot of information about
(05:17):
education and information that you guys have. You guys cover
a nine county region here in the area, so you
brought up mental illness.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
Opioid misuse and dependence can really have a cause for
someone to feel irritable and agitated. Long term use can
change a person's behavior and personality. For individuals with opioid
misuse and dependence, they may become socially withdrawn and that
can cause them to become increasingly irritable a hostile. So
(05:45):
already with opioid misuse abuse, we can look at people
that might become more agitated. So that can be very
difficult for family, friends, and others in a social network
to be around that individual. So that's going to cause
them to become socially isolated withdrawn. Will you take a
look at some of the symptoms of depression, some of
what can occur social isolation definitely huge thing. When we
(06:08):
look at depression, depression and opioid use, and opioid use
disorder commonly co occur, and it is estimated that approximately
seven point eight million adults have psychiatric disorders such as
depression and anxiety and receive over half of the nearly
two hundred million yearly opioid prescriptions. For some individuals too,
(06:29):
because we're looking at that correlation between depression and opioid use,
some of the things we may observe as well is
you have somebody that kept themselves very meticulous in their appearance.
Suddenly now we're looking and we're seeing people that are
becoming dishoveled and that maybe they haven't bathed, and we're
(06:51):
looking at kind of that level of neglect sometimes, and
this is really some of the challenge when working with
older adults. There can be some stereotypes that go around, well,
that's just you know, this individual, they're just getting older.
This is just the case of that. But that's not
necessarily the case, and sometimes it's due to mental illness.
Sometimes it's due to opioid use abuse. So sometimes it's
(07:14):
those struggles that are continuing that decline. So we can't
necessarily state that, oh, yes, this sudden, rapid decline is
due to some age related cause.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
So as you bring up some of these examples, these
are things to watch out for. Then, as you mentioned,
maybe something all of a sudden changes right where this
doesn't look to be the norm for that person.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
Right, yes, absolutely, And it's one of the things we
talk about to Another program that I supervise and a
few of our counties is our Adult Protective Services program.
And one of the things too that we take a
look at is huge what's the baseline for that individual
if suddenly and again I understand that it's a very
subjective term when I talk about someone being unkept. So
(07:57):
if this is the way that I normally appeared, I
normally kept myself. If again I looked meticulous, I show
up dressed up all the time, and again I take care,
I'm groomed, shaven, my hair is washed, And then I
notice a rapid decline in those areas. Now I understand
that there's a disruption to the baseline. So it's good
(08:18):
to be able to explore what's the cause. And sometimes
again that could be due to mental illness. For a
lot of our older adults as we age, there's a
lot of changes, a lot of challenges, stressors that they
deal with and that they go through. Really we saw
that in a really big way manifested during the COVID pandemic,
(08:39):
as there was a lot of disruption to the way
that they were able to communicate and interact with others. That
really had a huge impact and exacerbated some symptoms of
mental illness. For some individuals, they might have started experiencing
symptoms of depression, they might have developed anxiety because of
just some of those social changes. But as we age,
when you take a look at losses that folks endure,
(09:01):
and it could be a loss and occupation, it could
be a loss of a family member, other stressors and challenges,
some physical declines, it can definitely contribute to some of
those factors which would lead to mental illness. And for
some of those individuals, if I'm recognizing that opioid's had
this positive effect for pain that I have been prescribed for,
(09:22):
there can be a temptation to go ahead and use
to be able to cope with that, So that could
contribute to some of those immediate changes that we were
talking about.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
The Ohio District five Area Agency on Aging is in
the studio this morning with a very important topic on
their latest episode of their podcast. We're talking about opioid
abuse and mental health awareness in senior citizens. Our guest
is Rick Meeker, a community living supervisor again Ohio District
(09:51):
five Area Agency on Aging. Their website AAA, so that's
three a's the number five Ohio dot org. For more information,
you can also call four one nine five two for
forty one forty four Rick. While we're on this topic,
is there a unique or any unique risk for older adults?
Speaker 2 (10:09):
Absolutely? And the information I'm gonna just discuss is from
the Russian Institute from Chicago, and they've provided a lot
of education for folks when it comes to some of
the unique challenges facing our older adults. And one of
the things that's been noted as we age, kidney and
liver mass decline, muscle mass declines, there can be a
(10:30):
decline in hearing and vision. As we age, we have
an increased chance to be prescribed opioids for chronic pain.
We also may be diagnosed with more health conditions which
we may get prescribe medications for. As I mentioned earlier,
there is an increased risk that I may have a
medication that might exacerbate the effects of opioids. One struggle
that for some older adults they might have the beginning
(10:52):
stages of dementia and maybe for them they've just been
prescribed this medication, they may forget if they've taken the medication.
So that does contribute to the risk as well. Due
to the physiology of aging, one is that greater risk
for worsening side effects, which also could include confusion and
falls for folks.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Very important information this morning again as we hear from
the Ohio District five Area Agency on aging. Now, is
we talk about opioid misuse overdose risk? Can this be
minimized for older adults? Do you have any information there?
Speaker 2 (11:26):
Absolutely? And education is huge. We always recommend to that
whenever anybody is prescribed and I know we're talking about opioids,
but it doesn't matter if it's an opioid, a benzodiazepine,
whatever medication that someone is being prescribed. Education is really huge,
so for older adults, for caregivers whoever might be going
(11:47):
and having a conversation with the doctor the nurse, making
sure to really understand what have you been prescribed, what
are the side effects and the risk, because that's going
to really be that education piece can really help prevent
a lot of struggles that folks may have. Russian Institute
also in Chicago advise that one of the key factors
contributing opioid overdoses with older adults is that they're unaware
(12:10):
of the risk. So again that education is huge. Sometimes
the education can help as well because there can be
a stigma with opioid dependence and addiction. I know we've
been talking a lot about opioid use and older adults,
and part of it is to really throughout our efforts
is to try to help address that stigma that this
is just a problem that affects younger people, and that
(12:32):
this is just a problem because it's just somebody doesn't
have the willpower to be able to stop. That's not
the factor. With opioids. They have a very very very
very strong addiction potential purely because again they eliminate pain,
and if I'm going through physical pain, emotional pain strong
Also I have a feeling of euphoria, so again there's
(12:55):
that psychological It makes me feel better, so I want
to go ahead and use, and I have to use
increasing and increasing doses so again recognizing that that can
happen anybody with all ages, and it doesn't mean that
somebody is weak or not. It's again it can be
a huge struggle based on the nature of opioids themselves.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
Rick Meeker is behind the microphone with us today. He
is from the Ohio District five Area Agency on Aging.
He is a Community living supervisor. Talking about opioids. You
mentioned the word education. Somebody listening in the nine county
region they can reach out to the Ohio District five
for information. Correct.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
Absolutely, there's a lot of resources available for treatment in
all of our nine counties. So if this is something
that somebody is struggling with, maybe you know somebody that's
struggling with some of the issues that we've been discussing,
please we encourage you to reach out get that information,
to get help as soon as possible.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
Again, the website is AAA, the number five Ohio dot
org and the telephone number they'll get you in touch
with the right person four one nine five two four
forty one forty four. Before I let you go, you
mentioned treatment options. Can you share a little bit about that.
I guess what is available.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
And there's a lot of different options that are available,
and again, some of what I'm going to discuss, it
doesn't mean that that's what that person would want to
use or be beneficial for that person. Now, there is
scientific evidence that shows that if a person does develop
a disorder involving substance use, including opioid use disorder, it
can be treated effectively and recovery as possible. Treatment requires
(14:33):
a comprehensive, interdisciplinary set of solutions. This can include treating
a person's individual needs, including pain control, providing readily available treatment,
including medication assisted treatment for opioid use disorder, ensuring sufficient
length of time, and providing necessary behavioral therapies. So again,
it doesn't mean there are some people that might be
(14:54):
opposed to some treatments, some people that there might be
a better outcome with another treatment. For some individuals, for example,
I know we've been talking about a lot of people
that are living with chronic pain. Just because I eliminate
the opioid use misuse for some individuals that might be
abusing opioids, it doesn't mean that the pain went away.
So it does mean maybe there are other things that
(15:16):
we have to consider to take a look at some
pain management strategies and we have to take a look
at what's effective for individuals. For some individuals, exercise might
be helpful. There are tai chip programs. An Airy Agency
on Aging is aware of some of those programs in
the area. As a matter of fact, we help to
facilitate some of those programs too, to give people that option. Also,
(15:39):
sometimes being able to go to those groups can be
very beneficial because, as I mentioned before, because of agitation irritability,
there can be a difficult time with having good social supports,
which becomes key to treatment. So being able to go
to some of these groups, be able to participate and
not saying that I need to use it to where
(16:00):
I tell people about what I'm going through. Some people
may or and it may not be comfortable with that,
but at least to get out and start to socialize
can be huge. So maybe I can get to the
point where I'm able to talk to other people about
the struggles that I have. Being able to see mental
health therapists that can help me to address find those
triggers can be very helpful as well. But again, one
of the things that I can't stress enough is that
(16:24):
it's important to take a look at the individuals from
an interdisciplinary approach, in other words, taking a look at
the whole person. Yes, there might be a physical component,
there's a psychological component, there can be a social component,
and treatment options for individuals will include and take a
look at that whole person. What is it that's impacting
that person. So for folks that are listening and maybe
(16:45):
they do need treatment, it's not we're not going to
put you in a box. This is going to be
to where when we take a look at this, what
works best for you? Those options that I mentioned, what
are going to be the best options to help you?
Speaker 1 (16:58):
You mentioned options helpful as well. The Ohio District five
Area Agency on Aging with a lot of important information
education you mentioned classes. We're talking about opioid abuse and
mental health awareness in senior citizens. Will keep them for
just a moment longer. Rick Meeker with US Community Living
Supervisor again, Ohio District five Area Agency on Aging, nine
(17:19):
counties here locally, of course, you know, based Ontario Hawkins Corner.
Is there anything we missed in terms of opioids that
you want to share seniors that we haven't touched on
yet here today.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
And we've covered a lot and definitely appreciate the time
and the opportunity. Again, the biggest thing I want to
stress to go back to is for folks that are
struggling with this, family members and maybe you see a
family member that's struggling with this, there is help, there
is support, and we encourage you to reach out because again,
this can be really painful. This can be a huge
(17:53):
stressor for family members caregivers. I talked about the sudden
change earlier with the physical I might notice that suddenly
they're not keeping up with themselves. I talked about that,
but again when it comes to some of the changes
in behavior, that can be really hard when we see
our loved ones going through that, and sometimes that gets
(18:16):
overlooked as well. This is just an association within its
age related that may not be the case. So if
you are struggling with and you've noticed these behaviors where
they're becoming agitated, irritable, this hasn't happened before. There are resources.
We encourage you reach out to area agency on aging
(18:36):
and as we've mentioned before, with the contact information, you
can feel free to reach us on our website or
our phone number. We also encourage you to talk to
your doctors and medical staff as well. So any providers
you have getting that education we talked about earlier is
going to be key to be able to help as well.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
The website is AAA SO three a's the number five
oh Hi dot org and you can call at four
one nine five two four forty one forty four and
you can again find a lot of great information and
somebody can help you out with the Ohio District five
Area Agency on Aging. They cover nine counties locally and
(19:15):
very important information. On their latest episode here of their
podcast on iHeartRadio Age with Us as we talk about
opioid abuse and mental health awareness in senior citizens. Our
guest has been Rick Meeker, Community Living Supervisoral. Rick, you
always have a lot of very important information. Thank you
so much for being here and sharing it today.
Speaker 2 (19:34):
Thank you again for the opportunity appreciate it. Thank you,
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