Senate Aging Committee hears testimony on surge in opioid deaths among older Americans; witnesses press for treatment, naloxone access and support for grand‑car

WASHINGTON — The Senate Special Committee on Aging convened a hearing on the nation’s opioid crisis focused on older Americans, where witnesses described rising overdose deaths in people 55 and older, growing numbers of grandparents who are raising grandchildren because of parental addiction, and persistent barriers to evidence‑based treatment and data sharing.

Committee Chairman Tim Scott opened the hearing by warning that “we have lost hundreds of thousands of Americans’ lives to drug overdoses” and that in 2023 “more than 29,000 Americans aged 55 and older died from an opioid overdose,” a figure he said amounts to “80 seniors dying from opioid overdoses every single day.” The chairman and other senators pressed witnesses on responses ranging from law enforcement and border interdiction to expanding naloxone access and strengthening Medicaid and Medicare coverage for addiction services.

Why it matters: testimony at the hearing underscored that the opioid epidemic now touches older adults in distinct ways — complicating chronic‑disease management, increasing the responsibilities for elder caregivers and driving demand for treatment services that many communities cannot currently provide.…