In September, Council on Aging (COA) launched an education campaign highlighting the impact of opioid misuse on older adults. The campaign was funded by a $33,000 grant Council on Aging received from the Ohio Department of Aging. Council on Aging and other Area Agencies on Aging across the state received the grants to provide education to COA staff and partners in the aging services network about opioid use and misuse in older adults.
Area Agencies on Aging – like COA – are the local experts on issues impacting older adults and caregivers. Through a newsletter, website, social media channels and professional development conferences, COA provides education to network partners on these issues and makes recommendations on how to address them.
Most people don’t typically associate older adults with opioid misuse or dependency, but Ohio has more than 2 million older adults, many of whom are prescribed opioids and other stimulants for treatment of chronic pain and other disorders.
COA’s opioid education campaign included a professional development conference and a social media and advertising campaign aimed at educating the community about opioid use and risks among older adults. Information and resources were also provided on COA’s website. The combined campaigns reached more than 308,000 people.
The professional development conference provided three free clock hours of continuing education units for Ohio social workers and nurses. More than 140 people attended the conference, held Sept. 4 at the Manor House in Warren County.
Conference speakers included Hamilton County Commissioner Denise Driehaus; Meagan Guthrie, Director, Hamilton County Office of Addiction Response; Thomas Synan Jr., Chief of Police, Newtown Police Department and co-founder of the Hamilton County Addiction Response Coalition; and Jennifer Haywood, LISW-S, LICDC-CS, Haywood Counseling.
Attendees shared positive feedback about the conference, including the interactive nature of the presentations and the varied perspectives and backgrounds offered by the speakers and the attendees.
Funding for Council Aging’s conference was made possible in part by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).