DECEMBER 15 • 2022 | 61
are prescribed, he suggests
keeping them locked up and
disposing of them safely
when they are no longer
needed. It may be appropri-
ate to keep Narcan, a nasal
spray antidote to overdoses,
available. (See sidebar.)
He urges family mem-
bers to watch older adults
for signs of opioid depen-
dence. “Trust your instinct.
It is our duty to own it, to
intervene. Ask your doctors
for referrals for treatment,”
Foumia says. “Addiction is a
chronic illness and medica-
tions may be needed to help
the brain to heal.”
Eizen explains that
“among older people,
medication misuse is
mainly prescription drugs.”
She cites studies that
indicate between 75 to 96%
of older adults acknowledge
making frequent medication
errors, such as forgetting to
take a medication or taking
a duplicate dose.
Eizen recommends that
all medications be obtained
from the same source to
avoid potential interactions
and that labeled medication
boxes or blister packs be
used to encourage patients
to take their medications as
prescribed.
To check for drug inter-
actions, visit www.webmd.
com/interaction-checker/
default.htm.
About JARA: Jewish Addiction
Resource Alliance (JARA) is a coali-
tion that seeks to eliminate the stig-
ma associated with addiction within
the Jewish community through
education, resources and support to
individuals, families and the larger
community.
Partner agencies include the
Greater West Bloomfield Community
Coalition, Henry Ford Maplegrove
Center, Jamie Daniels Foundation,
Jewish Family Service, Lev Detroit
and Tri-Community Coalition.
Safe disposal of old or no-longer-needed medications
reduces their use after the expiration date and
potential misuse by individuals other than the patient
for whom they were prescribed.
Experts advise against disposing them in the
sink or toilet because they can end up in the sewer
system and water supply. Throwing medicine
containers in the trash is also unsafe because they
can be accessed too easily.
Instead, there are two good options — taking
them to a designated medical disposal location or
obtaining a special bag to dispose of them safely.
Some police departments and pharmacies will accept
medications for disposal.
Another option is a special Deterra medication
disposal bag provided by the Jamie Daniels
Foundation. The Deterra Drug Deactivation System
is a medication disposal pouch that permanently
deactivates pills, patches, liquids, creams and films.
Disposal bags can be obtained by contacting Ilana
Woronoff, LMSW, resource center coordinator at
Jewish Family Service: iworonoff@jfsdetroit.org or by
calling her at (248) 592-3981.
How to Safely Dispose of Old
or Unneeded Medications
Renowned Detroit busi-
nesswoman Florine Mark
offered an inspiring message
of personal empowerment
to the Fall Semester grad-
uating class of Lawrence
Technological University at
Commencement Saturday,
Dec. 3.
Mark — renowned busi-
ness leader, women’s advo-
cate, motivational speaker
— said she was once a “fat
little girl who hated herself.”
Growing up poor on
Detroit’s west side, part
of an extended family of
14 squeezed into a single
house, she said food was
always the family’s main
comfort. “The biggest room
in our house was the dining
room,” she said.
But as a young woman,
her travels took her to New
York, where she attended a
new concept in healthy eat-
ing called Weight Watchers.
And on that program, she
lost 40 pounds. Its founder
asked Mark to bring Weight
Watchers to Detroit. And
the rest, she told the gradu-
ating class of Lawrence Tech
at commencement, is busi-
ness history.
Mark urged the graduates
to give back to the commu-
nity, citing her work with
her mother in the March
of Dimes after her sister
was partially paralyzed by
polio. She recalled that her
mother convinced her to
spend a dime on the March
of Dimes rather than ice
cream. A week later, she
said, came news of a polio
vaccine. Said Mark: “My
mother said, ‘See? It was
your dime!’”
Finally, she said, we
should all treat every day as
a gift.
“Today is a gift, and it’s
the only day that you have.
You can’t do anything about
yesterday, and hopefully
we’ll be alive tomorrow, but
today is the only day you
have — try to make it excel-
lent.”
Florine Mark gave the commencement address at
Lawrence Tech on Dec. 3.
Mark Addresses Lawrence Tech Grads