Raising Awareness About Overdose Risk Among Older Adults

The Crawford Partnership to End Substance Misuse recently joined Dr. David McGreaham for an important presentation at the Crawford County Commission on Aging, highlighting a growing but often overlooked public health concern: overdose among older adults.

During the presentation, Dr. McGreaham shared that adults ages 55 and older have the highest rate of overdose deaths. He discussed how medication misuse, including the use of multiple prescriptions, accidental misuse, and interactions between medications, can increase overdose risk. He also emphasized the importance of safely storing medications, regularly monitoring their use, and properly disposing of unused or expired medications to help prevent misuse and accidental overdoses.

The Crawford Partnership to End Substance Misuse was also on hand to provide free medication lock boxes, naloxone, and educational materials to attendees. These resources help individuals and families take simple, effective steps to improve medication safety and be prepared to respond in the event of an opioid overdose.

Thank you to Dr. McGreaham for sharing his expertise and helping raise awareness about this lifesaving topic. Through education and community partnerships, we can continue working together to reduce overdose risk and keep our communities safe.

If your organization, agency, business, or community group is interested in hosting a similar presentation or learning more about medication safety and overdose prevention, please contact The Crawford Partnership to End Substance Misuse at 989-203-1477.