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Drug Deaths - Age 65+ in United States
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United States Value:

11.5

Number of deaths due to drug injury (unintentional, suicide, homicide or undetermined) per 100,000 adults age 65 and older (3-year estimate)

Drug Deaths - Age 65+ in depth:

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Drug Deaths - Age 65+ by State: Male

Number of deaths due to drug injury (unintentional, suicide, homicide or undetermined) per 100,000 males age 65 and older (3-year estimate)

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Data from CDC WONDER, Multiple Cause of Death Files, 2020-2022

<= 11.7

11.8 - 14.3

14.4 - 17.8

17.9 - 20.3

>= 20.4

No Data

• Data Unavailable
Top StatesRankValue
4.5
7.3
7.6
8.3
8.9
Bottom StatesRankValue
24.5
25.0
30.8

Drug Deaths - Age 65+: Male

4.5
7.3
7.6
8.3
8.9
8.9
11.3
11.7
11.7
11.8
12.8
12.8
12.9
13.2
13.7
14.1
14.3
14.7
15.6
16.4
16.4
17.2
17.5
17.8
18.0
18.4
18.6
19.1
19.2
19.2
19.2
19.3
20.3
23.6
23.9
24.4
24.5
25.0
30.8
Data Unavailable
[2] Results are suppressed due to inadequate sample size and/or to protect identity
Source:
  • CDC WONDER, Multiple Cause of Death Files, 2020-2022

Drug Deaths - Age 65+ Trends by Gender

Number of deaths due to drug injury (unintentional, suicide, homicide or undetermined) per 100,000 adults age 65 and older (3-year estimate)

About Drug Deaths - Age 65+

US Value: 11.5

Top State(s): Nebraska: 4.1

Bottom State(s): Nevada: 18.7

Definition: Number of deaths due to drug injury (unintentional, suicide, homicide or undetermined) per 100,000 adults age 65 and older (3-year estimate)

Data Source and Years(s): CDC WONDER, Multiple Cause of Death Files, 2020-2022

Suggested Citation: America's Health Rankings analysis of CDC WONDER, Multiple Cause of Death Files, United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2024.

Drug overdoses are one of the leading causes of injury death in the United States and have skyrocketed in the last 20 years, destroying families and communities and placing an enormous burden on the health care system. Opioid-involved deaths increased among older adults between 2017 and 2018, despite a decrease in the overall rate. In 2019, 1 in 4 Medicare Part D beneficiaries received a prescription for an opioid. 

Drug abuse can be especially dangerous for older adults because age-related changes in the liver reduce the ability to metabolize medications, and most older adults take one or more prescription medications. They may also take non-prescription medications and dietary herbal supplements, which can further complicate drug interactions and lead to drug-induced death. Other risk factors that can lead to substance use among older adults include forced or unexpected retirement, social isolation, transitions in living situations, substance use earlier in life, physical and mental health issues, and deaths of loved ones.

A 2019 report estimated that the opioid crisis cost the U.S. at least $631 billion between 2015 and 2018. Mortality accounted for approximately 40% of these costs, while excess health care spending accounted for almost a third.

According to America’s Health Rankings analysis, the prevalence of drug deaths is higher among:

  • Older men compared with older women.
  • Black older adults, who have a prevalence nearly 12 times higher than Asian older adults.

Identifying addiction in older adults can be challenging because of similarities between symptoms of drug addiction and diseases such as diabetes, depression, dementia and other mental health disorders. Although limited addiction treatment programs exist specifically for older adults, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has a resource for locating treatment facilities and it can filter through specific populations such as seniors.

Strategies to prevent overdose deaths and reduce harm among older adults with opioid addiction include:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated their Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain and created a prescription checklist to encourage safe prescribing practices for primary care providers. The National Institute on Drug Abuse offers resources and advice about what to do if someone you know has a problem with drugs.

Reducing drug overdose deaths is a Healthy People 2030 leading health indicator.

Davenport, Stoddard, Alexandra Weaver, and Matt Caverly. “Economic Impact of Non-Medical Opioid Use in the United States: Annual Estimates and Projections for 2015 through 2019.” Society of Actuaries, 2019. https://www.soa.org/globalassets/assets/files/resources/research-report/2019/econ-impact-non-medical-opioid-use.pdf.

Dowell, Deborah, Kathleen R. Ragan, Christopher M. Jones, Grant T. Baldwin, and Roger Chou. “CDC Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Pain — United States, 2022.” MMWR. Recommendations and Reports 71, no. 3 (November 4, 2022): 1–95. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.rr7103a1.

Kuerbis, Alexis, Paul Sacco, Dan G. Blazer, and Alison A. Moore. “Substance Abuse Among Older Adults.” Clinics in Geriatric Medicine 30, no. 3 (August 2014): 629–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cger.2014.04.008.

Mallet, Louise, Anne Spinewine, and Allen Huang. “The Challenge of Managing Drug Interactions in Elderly People.” The Lancet 370, no. 9582 (July 2007): 185–91. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61092-7.

Marek, Karen Dorman, and Lisa Antle. “Medication Management of the Community-Dwelling Older Adult.” In Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses, edited by Ronda G. Hughes. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2008. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2670/.

Martin, Crescent B., Craig M. Hales, Qiuping Gu, and Cynthia L Ogden. “Prescription Drug Use in the United States, 2015–2016.” NCHS Data Brief No. 334. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics, 2019. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31112126/.

McLachlan, Andrew J., and Lisa G. Pont. “Drug Metabolism in Older People—A Key Consideration in Achieving Optimal Outcomes With Medicines.” The Journals of Gerontology: Series A 67A, no. 2 (February 1, 2012): 175–80. https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glr118.

“Opioid Use in Medicare Part D Continued To Decline in 2019, but Vigilance Is Needed as COVID-19 Raises New Concerns.” Data Brief. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, August 2020. https://www.oversight.gov/sites/default/files/oig-reports/OEI-02-20-00320.pdf.

Qato, Dima M., G. Caleb Alexander, Rena M. Conti, Michael Johnson, Phil Schumm, and Stacy Tessler Lindau. “Use of Prescription and Over-the-Counter Medications and Dietary Supplements Among Older Adults in the United States.” JAMA 300, no. 24 (December 24, 2008): 2867–78. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2008.892.

Simon, Kyle, Stacey L. Worthy, Michael C. Barnes, and Benjamin Tarbell. “Abuse-Deterrent Formulations: Transitioning the Pharmaceutical Market to Improve Public Health and Safety.” Therapeutic Advances in Drug Safety 6, no. 2 (April 2015): 67–79. https://doi.org/10.1177/2042098615569726.

Wilson, Nana, Mbabazi Kariisa, Puja Seth, Herschel IV Smith, and Nicole L. Davis. “Drug and Opioid-Involved Overdose Deaths — United States, 2017–2018.” MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 69, no. 11 (March 20, 2020): 290–97. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6911a4.

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