Join our substance misuse, problem gambling, and suicide prevention experts at the National Prevention Network (NPN) online conference on September 29–30, 2026.
Our Presentation
3E: Respecting Our Elders in Prevention: Preventing Older Adults Prescription Drug Misuse Through Medication Safety Education and Social Connections
Tuesday, September 29, at 3:30–4:30 p.m ET
Ben Spooner, Project Director, Education Development Center, Inc.
Maria Valenti, Epidemiology Technical Assistance Lead, SPTAC, Education Development Center, Inc.
Older adults are often overlooked in primary substance misuse prevention, despite elevated risk for prescription drug misuse due to inconsistent dosing, limited medication literacy, and misuse of medications to cope with life transitions. This session shares findings from the Massachusetts Strategic Prevention Framework for Prescription Drugs (SPF Rx) needs assessment, including how older adults were prioritized and the key risk and protective factors identified.
Our Booth
Join Ben and Amy Molloy at EDC's virtual booth!
Amy Molloy, senior project associate, is a behavioral health expert with 14 years of leadership experience in suicide prevention, mental health promotion, veterans’ services, and education.
Learn more
Ben Spooner is an EDC project director and prevention expert. An experienced project manager and training and technical assistance (TA) provider, he brings extensive expertise in substance misuse prevention, strategic communications planning, sustainability planning, strategic planning, instructional design, product development, event design and facilitation, and effective virtual events.