As the impact of the opioid epidemic is felt in communities across America, public libraries are choosing to be part of the community response. OCLC is sharing knowledge and resources that will help public libraries and their community partners develop effective strategies to address the opioid epidemic in the United States.

This report includes eight research-based case studies highlighting varying opioid response efforts across eight locations in the US.

This report is based on interviews with family members, doctors, nurses and advocates, and documents the use of medications as chemical restraint in 35 aged care facilities in three states in Australia: Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales.

In 2017–18, an estimated $185.4 billion was spent on health goods and services in Australia. This equates to an average of approximately $7,485 per person and represents 10% of overall economic activity for this period.

Dementia is a leading cause of illness and death among Australians. This report shows that in 2016–17 about 546,000 prescriptions for anti-dementia medications were dispensed to about 58,500 people aged 30 and over. Of the 4 anti-dementia medications examined, Donepezil was the most commonly dispensed medication.