Curing Our Coast, Shore’s Elderly Also Impacted By Opiate Addiction

OCEAN CITY — Addiction is often thought to be an issue that plagues the young or the middle-aged, but statistical data shows that one of the fastest growing demographics abusing opiates is the elderly.

“Seventy percent of the opiate addicts in Maryland get there by the prescription drug route,” says Dr. Michael Finegan, a clinical psychologist at Peninsula Addictions Services in Salisbury who is the only Eastern Shore member of the Governor’s Opiate Taskforce. “We don’t have concrete numbers on this, but I think it’s very safe to theorize that the number is even higher with our geriatric population. They have been given medication that they have become addicted to, and if they have a change in prescription or financial situation, these older individuals are at an increased risk of turning to illicit drugs like heroin or buying pills off the street.”

Often dubbed the “hidden epidemic” by health experts, prescription pill usage amongst Americans over the age of 65 is not just landing them in hospitals or rehabilitation centers across the country at an increasing rate, they may indirectly be their grandchildren’s first drug provider.

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