Mentors: Cameron Hay, Ph.D. and Paul Flaspohler, Ph.D.

The percentage of adults over the age of 65 continues to rise and will reach ⅕ of the United States population by 2030.4 Thus, public health issues concerning this demographic are of growing importance. With a rise in life expectancy, there is a proportional increase in the amount of lifetime medication use and the extent of medication use.4 In fact, middle-aged and older adults use prescription opioids at a higher rate than younger adults in the United States.5 This is mainly due to the fact that older adults often experience chronic pain associated with their burden of co-morbidities and the effects of aging on the body’s health.5 The degradation of health in the rising population of older adults in the United States has led to an increase in the amount of opioids prescribed and misused.4,5

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