M

edicine can be life-
enhancing and even 
lifesaving as we age. 
But it can also be a source of 
potential misuse. 
 The Jewish Addiction 
Resource Alliance (JARA) 
recently presented a webinar 
“Aging, Addiction and the 
Brain” about medication 
misuse and potential 
addiction. 
Lynn Breuer, LMSW, CDP, 
senior director of community 
outreach and 
wellness at Jewish 
Family Service, 
explained why 
aging poses 
particular issues 
in relation to 
medication and 
addiction. 
“Our cognitive abilities 
peak at 25,” she said. After 
that, age-related changes to 
the brain can affect cognition, 
memory, balance and sleep. 
Aging may result in 
orthopedic problems, vision 
and hearing loss, and other 
medical issues requiring 
medication. Emotional issues 
can also surface, Breuer said, 
as the moves and deaths 
of loved ones can result 
in shrinking social circles. 
This can lead to depression 
and anxiety; medications 
are often prescribed to treat 
these physical and emotional 
problems. 
“Older adults are often 
prescribed more medicines 
than other age groups, 
leading to a higher rate 
of exposure to potentially 
addictive medications,” she 
says.
At the same time, age-
related changes in the brain 
can make it challenging 
to accurately follow a 
medication regime. Patients 
may forget whether they have 

taken a dose and perhaps 
overcompensate with too 
many pills or take fewer than 
prescribed. 
Patients can become 
addicted to medications 
for sleep, pain or anxiety, 
including opioids, such as 
oxycodone — 
a painkiller, 
explained Breuer 
and Becky Eizen, 
director of the 
Resource Center 
at Jewish Family 
Service and 

a board-certified patient 
advocate specializing in 
geriatric programs. 

Rony Foumia, a local 
pharmacist with extensive 
experience as a retail 
pharmacist and pharmacy 
manager, is a member of 
the statewide 
Michigan 
Pharmacy and 
Therapeutics 
Committee and a 
board member of 
Families Against 
Narcotics. There 

is a misperception that opioid 
addiction is a problem only 
among young people, he says. 
“Opioids can cause a 
euphoric effect, and misuse 
can change brain chemistry 
so that patients may need 
more of them,” Foumia 
explains. 
Synthetic opioids such as 
fentanyl are responsible for 
70 to 75% of opioid deaths, 
he says.
Foumia recommends con-
sideration of non-opioid pain 
medications, but if opioids 

Aging and Medication

Becky 
Eizen

Rony 
Foumia

Lynn 
Breuer

HEALTH

Local agency coalition seeks to reduce 
medication misuse and addiction.

SHARI S. COHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

60 | DECEMBER 15 • 2022 

Using Narcan to 
Combat Overdoses

Narcan, the brand name for Naloxone, 

is an inhaled prescription medication 
to treat someone suspected of an 
opioid overdose because of breathing 
problems, severe sleepiness or 

unresponsiveness. 
 Training for administering Narcan 
is available through the Alliance of 
Coalitions for Healthy Communities 
at: https://achcmi.org/training/ 
narcan-training-save-a-life/. 
For immediate assistance, 24/7, call 
Common Ground at (800) 231-1127.