Healthy Aging Campaign Targets Opioid Misuse in Older Adults
Study Shows 9,000% Increase in Senior Overdose Deaths
Millburn, NJ, Nov. 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ) announced the launch of its 2026 Healthy Aging Campaign, a statewide initiative dedicated to providing age-specific opioid safety education and resources for older adults, their caregivers, and the professionals who work with them. The campaign seeks to address the growing opioid risks facing older adults, a population often overlooked in traditional prevention and awareness efforts.
The urgency of this campaign is underscored by national and state trends. According to the American Society of Anesthesiologists, overdose deaths in adults over 65 involving fentanyl mixed with stimulants such as cocaine and methamphetamines have risen 9,000 percent over the past eight years. Older adults often manage chronic health conditions, take multiple medications, and metabolize drugs more slowly, all of which increase their vulnerability to misuse. New Jersey data show that from January to November 2025, adults aged 55 and older experienced 365 suspected overdose deaths, with those between 55 and 64 accounting for the highest number among all age groups statewide at 250.
“With overdose deaths among older adults increasing at such a staggering rate, we cannot allow this population to remain underserved in opioid education and prevention,” said Angelo Valente, Executive Director of PDFNJ. “The Healthy Aging Campaign represents our commitment to ensuring that older adults, their families, and the professionals who support them have the knowledge and resources necessary to stay safe. By expanding awareness and promoting practical, safer approaches to pain management, we can help protect the health and independence of older New Jerseyans.”
The initiative follows the momentum generated by the first-ever NJ Healthy Aging Summit, held in Atlantic City this past September and convened by PDFNJ in partnership with the New Jersey Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS). That event brought together 500 older adults, caregivers, healthcare providers, and social-service professionals to learn from nationally recognized experts about the dangers posed by opioid misuse among older adults and to explore effective, evidence-based pain-management alternatives.
The 2026 Healthy Aging Campaign will make accessible a wide range of educational materials, caregiver guidance, professional training, and information on non-opioid pain-management strategies to support safer decision-making for older adults across the state. To learn more about the campaign and access resources, visit NJHealthyAging.org.
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Best known for its statewide substance use prevention advertising campaign, the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey is a private not-for-profit coalition of professionals from the communications, corporate and government communities whose collective mission is to reduce demand for illicit drugs in New Jersey through media communication. To date, more than $200 million in broadcast time and print space has been donated to the Partnership’s New Jersey campaign, making it the largest public service advertising campaign in New Jersey’s history. Since its inception, the Partnership has garnered 232 advertising and public relations awards from national, regional and statewide media organizations.
Lisa Batitto Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey 973-467-2100 news@drugfreenj.org
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