The United States continues to grapple with the devastating effects of the opioid epidemic. As the nation’s attention turns to the presidential elections and candidate rhetoric, we cannot overlook the families that continue to suffer.
With 130 Americans lost every day, this ongoing public health emergency has touched almost every American in one way or another. And while there is not a panacea to solving this crisis, recognizing family caregivers as fighters on the front lines can help protect our most vulnerable: children and seniors in the home.
During my 15 years in the United States Congress and as co-founder and CEO of Mothers Against Prescription Drug Abuse, I have used my personal experiences in the service of others with the goal of ending opioid and other drug abuse in America.
Addiction is something I keenly understand. For many years, I have watched members of my family struggle with a substance use disorder. I learned long ago about America’s overprescribing and reliance on prescription and illicit opioids.
And the home is often ground zero for this abuse.
In 2021, 50,000 American seniors experienced an opioid overdose and the number of seniors who died from an opioid overdose increased by 53% percent between 2019 and 2020 according to the Department of Health and Human Services and the CDC.
Understanding that reality, we must better recognize family members and friends who serve as caregivers and equip them with the important tools to stop a trajectory of misuse and abuse, before it progresses to overdose and death. These selfless individuals are often the first to recognize a dangerous and life-threatening situation in the home and can be the first to step in to intervene.
I encourage lawmakers in Congress to adopt commonsense solutions that would have an immediate impact on strengthening our caregiving frontline. There are two practical first steps that would make significant in-roads into solving the opioid crisis in the United States.
The first would be the reauthorization of the SUPPORT Act, which would strengthen important programs that bolster prevention, treatment, and recovery services for Americans with substance use disorders and mental illness.
The second is the passage of the Alternatives to PAIN Act.
This bipartisan legislation would increase access to non-opioid forms of pain management while making these novel drugs more affordable for seniors and other disadvantaged populations. It would allow a patient and doctor to have a choice on how pain is managed and would help keep opioids out of the home – where they might be abused by a patient or diverted into the hands of others.
Family caregivers are a vital frontline in this crisis. By offering the education and tools to recognize and stop addiction, we are one step closer to ending the devastating opioid epidemic.
