Frailty as a Key Factor in Continued Opioid Use After Fractures: How Physical Therapy Can Protect Older Adults

A recent report published in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found that older adults who are frail are less likely to stop taking opioids after these medications are initially prescribed to treat pain after a fracture. Researchers analyzed data from Medicare beneficiaries over a five-year period who filled an opioid prescription within a month after a vertebral or extremity fracture, concluding that patients reported to be frail were significantly less likely to discontinue their opioid use. Given the greater incidence of falls-related injuries, including fractures, among older, frail adults, a lack of access to falls-risk assessments and treatment plans can compound the threat of addiction and overdose. 

The recent study provides additional evidence that legislation to limit falls-related injuries can have the additional, important benefit of working to curb opioid use and addiction among older adults. The Stopping Addiction and Falls for the Elderly (SAFE) Act aims to reduce the risk of injuries among seniors, thereby lowering the risk of opioid addiction that can occur after a fall or fracture. 

Older adults who engage in physical and occupational therapy show lower risk for long-term opioid usage, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association. The SAFE Act would reduce fall-related injuries and subsequent risk of opioid addiction and overdose by including falls risk assessments, administered by physical and occupational therapists, as part of a patient’s Medicare Annual Wellness benefit. It would additionally provide screening assessments to millions of older Americans, further lowering their risk of suffering a harmful fall. By increasing access to physical and occupational therapy services for aging, frail adults, the SAFE Act would make preventive falls risk care available to millions of our seniors, helping to prevent fractures, injuries, and opioid use.

To read more about the report on frailty and opioid usage, click here. 

To learn more and support the SAFE Act, click here.