FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 8, 2022

Contact: Natalie Golub, Media Coordinator, 973-382-4560, natalie@drugfreenj.org

The Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey Addresses Surging Substance Use-Related Deaths Among Older Adults

NEW JERSEY ­— Drug-related deaths are on the rise among older adults in the United States, and the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ) is raising awareness about the dangers associated with prescription opioids among this vulnerable population.

Deaths from drug overdoses among seniors have more than tripled in the past two decades, according to the CDC.  Between 2000 and 2020, the rates rose from 2.4 to 8.8 deaths per 100,000 people among adults 65 and older. The data also found that fentanyl and other synthetic opioids are affecting this population with death rates from these drugs increasing by 53 percent from 2019 to 2020.

“The senior population may not have been in the spotlight when it comes to drug overdoses and substance use or misuse, but we realize no one is immune when it comes to opioids,” said Angelo Valente, Executive Director of the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey. “Seniors are just as vulnerable, and we must take measures to educate older adults and their caregivers about the dangers that come with prescription opioids.”

For 2023, PDFNJ will continue to educate New Jersey residents with its Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day Learning Series and will feature a webinar focusing on the risks the older population faces concerning prescription opioids and measures that can be taken to protect seniors who may be more susceptible to drug misuse.

PDFNJ also continues to offer its Prescriber Education Webinar, “Do No Harm: Exploring Strategies for Safer Prescribing of Opioids,” which fulfills the New Jersey one-hour continuing education requirement concerning prescription opioids.  It provides information vital to promoting safer prescribing practices to keep patients safe from opioid use and misuse.

“To combat the opioid epidemic and keep New Jersey residents safe, it is crucial that we raise awareness of the dangers of prescription opioids among older adults, their families and caregivers,” said Valente. “We also must continue to educate prescribers and medical professionals on safer prescribing practices.”

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Best known for its statewide anti-drug advertising campaign, the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey is a private not-for-profit coalition of professionals from the communications, corporate and government communities whose collective mission is to reduce demand for illicit drugs in New Jersey through media communication. To date, more than $200 million in broadcast time and print space has been donated to the Partnership’s New Jersey campaign, making it the largest public service advertising campaign in New Jersey’s history. Since its inception the Partnership has garnered 217 advertising and public relations awards from national, regional and statewide media organizations.