02-21-2024 PTL - Flipbook - Page 20
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A Special Advertising Section of Baltimore Sun Media Group | Wednesday, February 21, 2024
Longevity Ready Maryland,
continued from page 17
information about the financial exploitation of older and vulnerable adults,
including how to educate seniors and
caregivers about financial abuse prevention.
Elder Scams and Fraud Prevention:
Learn the top scams targeting older
adults, how to prevent scams and fraud,
know the signs and risk factors, and
how to report scams and fraud.
Maryland Durable Medical Equipment
Reuse Program (DME): Provides
free durable medical equipment to
Marylanders of all ages and abilities.
Donations are accepted. All equipment
is sanitized, repaired and re-distributed
with the highest standards with regards
to safety.
Maryland Senior Call Check Program
(SCC): Receive a daily automated call to
verify your well-being, at a time scheduled at your convenience. Registration
is free to Maryland residents 65 years of
age and older.
Nutrition and Meal Services: Provides
home delivered meals, meals in community settings and nutritional counseling
for older adults.
Senior Center Services: Community
hubs (in-person and virtual) for gathering, exercise, nutrition, games, hobbies,
health promotion activities, education,
and Medicare counseling, providing a
vital link for older adults to take charge
of their health and stay involved in their
communities.
Substance use disorder,
continued from page 5
and going to the emergency department.
In the general population, most of the
older adults are retired and not always
familiar or savvy about addictions. They
are taking the medications for whatever
the primary reason was – pain or recovery
– something like that. The doctor continues
to prescribe the medicine, so they become
dependent on it.
One other problem: We used to have
pharmacists to whom we sent all our prescriptions. They would alert you if there
was a contraindication or an issue with a
particular drug. Today, we may use several
doctors and several pharmacies. There is
no medical gatekeeper watching out for us,
one person who has the big picture regarding our health.
“Someone should be aware of what
is going on,” Wang observes. “In general,
older adults are more susceptible to certain medications. Prescriptions have a far
more significant impact with age. And if an
individual combines alcohol with benzodiazepines it could cause amnesia, confusion, or
cognitive impairment.
“For patients in treatment due to chronic
pain, the first step we take is to get them
moving, the best treatment for pain, and
to start physical therapy. If they come to a
Caron Treatment Center, they are in a new
place, so they can’t lay on the couch all day.
They are enrolled in programs and learn
healthy coping skills; they also learn to deal
with the emotional issues that contribute
to addiction, such as end-of-life problems,
loneliness, and how to address them. When
they are here in a treatment program, they
are far less isolated, another cause of the
dependency.”
Wang adds, “The only legitimate reason
for long term prescription use is cancer
related. People should not be on opiates
for other conditions. There are better, more
sustainable means of managing pain. When
they leave Caron, they have better function
and quality of life.”
Telecommunications and Socialization
Resources: Get connected to the community virtually with resources to help
access and use the internet, programs
and resources to socially engage and
reduce social isolation and platforms to
manage mental and behavioral health
through telehealth usage.
Continuing
Care
Retirement
Communities (CCRC): The Department
regulates CCRCs, which offer older
adults various levels of housing and care
without leaving the community campus
as health needs change over time.
National Family Caregiver Support
Program: Information, referral, counseling and respite services for caregivers
of older adults and grandparents raising
grandchildren.
Senior Care Services: Provides coordinated, community-based, in-home services, equipment, and medical supplies
to maintain independent community living for those who meet the eligibility
criteria.
State Ombudsman Program: Friendly
visits and advocacy from trained staff
and volunteers to promote quality care
Treating SUD
and protect the rights of residents livThe Older Adult treatment program availing in nursing homes and assisted living
able at two of the Caron Treatment Centers
facilities.
is rare. It has Older Adult programs at its
location in Wernersville, Pennsylvania, close
to the border with Maryland, and in Del Ray,
Florida. There are a few other programs
around the country, but they are hard to find.
Caron’s program is six weeks long, a
grain of sand compared to the time it took
to develop SUD, especially when the person has been suffering for years. And just
as your body doesn’t heal as well as it did
when you were younger, it takes longer to
get the substance out of your system. The
other advantage to Caron is this group has
its own unit, not mixed in with other people
in recovery. Even though it’s a small group,
they can relate to, and spend time with,
each other. Wang says they come to life,
bonding over shared experiences. They
really like it.
“There are four stages to treatment,”
Wang describes. “First is the recognition of
the problem. Most don’t want to admit they
have an addiction. Second, getting them
into treatment. This is often a months-long,
tedious process. A majority don’t make
it through this stage. Third is the actual
treatment, and fourth, aftercare and maintenance. Many patients join 12-step meetings
if appropriate.”
Pay Attention
Given the staggering numbers of older
adults with SUD, families and friends need
to be more observant on how they are doing.
After retirement, that loss of social interactions is devastating. At least when they were
working, they were around people.
Some are aware of what they are struggling with, but they need a facilitator, an
expert, to move forward. SUD increased
during the pandemic, much of it attributable
to loss of socialization, depression, anxiety
and death. Wang also saw a lot of relapses.
With age, we lose our friends and colleagues, we lose some mobility, we have
to work harder at forming friendships and
to participate in activities. There is so much
available through state and local programs.
So, whether you are the “older adult” or the
friend or the family member, pay attention
to what’s going on with those around you.
Ask how they are doing and talk about how
you’re doing. Most important: If you need
help, ask for it. To quote the song, “We all
need somebody to lean on.”
If you or someone you know is struggling
or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988
or chat at 988lifeline.org. To learn how to
get support for mental health, drug or alcohol issues, visit FindSupport.gov. If you are
ready to locate a treatment facility or provider, you can go directly to FindTreatment.
gov or call 800-662-HELP (4357).
