LONGMEADOW – The Longmeadow CLOSE Community will be hosting an Opioid Education event at the Longmeadow Adult Center on June 7 at 6:30 p.m.

CLOSE Community Program Coordinator Paul McNeil explained to Reminder Publications that because senior citizens have high rates of health complications, they, more than other age groups, are prescribed narcotic pain relievers frequently.

“Due to the nature of opioids, it is possible to become dependent and even addicted to the drugs without misusing them,” McNeil said. “More doctors are offering prescriptions for older adults, and as a result, more older adults are misusing narcotics.”

According to the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, in 2012, the rate of illicit drug use in the population from ages 60 to 64 increased to 3.6 percent, up from 1.1 percent in 2003.

Longmeadow’s CLOSE Community decided to host the Opioid Education event, McNeil stated, because 50 percent of adults from ages 57 to 85 take at least five medications or supplements on a daily basis.

“Senior adults consume medicine at a higher rate than other populations; therefore, as a demographic, they have a higher risk for addiction,” he shared.

McNeil encourages seniors as well as anyone interested to attend the CLOSE Community event at the Adult Center to learn about what opioids are, how they work, what misuse and abuse looks like, what narcan is, how to manage opioids and other medications, how to store these types of drugs, how to dispose of them and to discuss how family history of drug or alcohol use can effect treatment.

“The problem is that opiates are very effective at treating pain, at least initially, and they can contribute to a higher quality of life. However, they are very addictive even when strictly following a prescription,” McNeil said. “Although opiates are very commonly prescribed, there is more and more research leading doctors to encourage senior adults to pursue a more holistic approach to pain management.”

The CLOSE Community event at the Adult Center at 231 Maple Rd. on June 7 at 6:30 p.m. is open to the public. Dessert refreshments and coffee will be provided.