Overdose deaths among over 65s soar as drugs become more powerful

STRONGER and more readily available medications are being partly blamed for part of a huge rise in the number of senior and elderly Victorians dying from drug overdoses over the past five years.

The number of over 65s dying from overdoses is on the rise.

STRONGER and more readily available medications are being blamed for part of a huge rise in the number of senior and elderly Victorians dying from drug overdoses.

In the past five years the number of over 65s dying from drug overdoses has jumped by more than 140 per cent, claiming 56 lives last year.

While much attention is focused on protecting younger people from drug harm and deaths, Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association chief executive officer Sam Biondo said old victims were being left to fall through the cracks.

A report prepared by the Coroners Court of Victoria shows the overdoses include seven people over 85, with a steady rising toll in all senior age groups over the past decade.

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Stronger and more readily available medications are being blamed for part of the rise.

“There is a range of factors: the Australian population is getting older, the medication is getting stronger and more prevalent in their usage, there’s a lack of knowledge about the impacts of medication in combination with alcohol,” Mr Biondo said.

“The impact of the medications themselves on an older person is more substantial. The older you become the vulnerable you are to the impact of both alcohol and drugs, and medication.”

Deaths in younger age groups are more common, with the highest toll being among the 35-44 years olds where there were 156 fatalities in 2017.

But with a over 65s now dying at a rate more than a third of those figures, Mr Biondo said authorities needed to structure specific services to cater for people facing very different issues.

Peninsula Health currently runs Victoria’s only dedicated older person’s drug program.

“As people get older the effect of alcohol gets more substantial and combined with loneliness, isolation and depression there are hidden factors to some of these deaths,” Mr Biondo said.

“Prescribers need to be different.

“There is outreach work to be done and programs that can work with an individual to make them feel part of something, to work through isolations and depression.”

Education to teach about impact of medication and alcohol.

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