|
This is an archive page. The links are no longer being updated.
PRESS RELEASE
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
|
| May 11th, 2004 |
Contact: AoA Press Office
(202) 401-4634 |
SAMHSA, FDA and AoA Work To Help Keep America’s Older Citizens Safe and Healthy and Celebrate Older American’s Month
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA) the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Administration
on Aging (AoA), agencies under the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS), today released public education materials
to warn older Americans of the dangers of mixing certain prescription
drugs or prescription medications and alcohol. SAMHSA data show
two percent of admissions to treatment aged 55 and older abuse
prescription narcotic medications.
“As You Age” education materials are geared to help
draw attention to the need to manage prescription medication
intake as well as the dangers of mixing some medications with
alcohol. The effort highlights the need for more vigilance and
monitoring of prescription intake by older adults. “As
You Age” consists of a series of materials including print
ads, radio and television public service announcements, a brochure
and a website housing all of the materials which can be downloaded
for adaptations and other use.
HHS is also releasing an Older Americans Kit. The kit provides
useful information from various sources to help aging organizations,
faith-based and community groups, policymakers, the media, and
other groups educate older people and their caregivers about
programs and services available to assist them, including information
from SAMHSA on use of alcohol by some elderly to self-medicate
anxiety or depression.
The “As You Age” brochure provides a medication
checklist so that a person can keep track of the dose amount,
intervals, and type of medication they need to take. It also
points to the dangers of consuming alcohol with a medication
that might have adverse effect due to negative interactions.
“Sometimes older Americans are considered to have dementia
when in reality they are mixing prescription medications or mixing
medications with alcohol,” SAMHSA Administrator Charles
Curie said. “SAMHSA is determined to get the warning out
now before aging baby boomers mix needed prescription medications
with alcohol or illegal drugs with dire results.”
"We want older adults to be aware that the increased use
of medicine and normal body changes caused by aging can raise
the chance of unwanted or maybe even harmful drug interactions," said
Acting FDA Commissioner LesterM. Crawford, D.V.M., Ph.D. "People
should talk with their health care team about their medical condition,
health concerns, and all the medicines, vitamins and supplements
they take. The more you know about your medicines, the easier
it is to avoid most problems."
The Older Americans Kit contains feature articles, informational
vignettes, and fact sheets on a variety of topics including health
promotion and disease, care giving, volunteerism, nutrition,
transportation, and elder rights. Each article, vignette and
fact sheet provides information about programs and services available
to assist older people and alerts people to where they can get
more information. Materials will be distributed to the media,
older Americans’ trade publications and organizations and
to consumer organizations including health care entities.
AoA’s Assistant Secretary for Aging Josefina Carbonell
stated that "this year’s theme, Aging Well, Living
Well, was selected to celebrate older Americans who are living
longer, healthier, and more productive lives. The theme also
gives us an excellent opportunity to highlight strategies and
resources that can help older Americans succeed at aging and
living well."
| Last Modified: 7/16/2009 9:06:19 AM |
|