Ageing and pain are not natural allies
A landmark British reports recommends ways to improve pain assessment and management for older people.
Pain is not a ‘normal’ part of the ageing process and should not be accepted as such, according to a new study from the University of Nottingham in the UK.
Funded by Help the Age and the British Pain Society, the report draws on interviews with older people and a comprehensive literature review.
The groundbreaking study reveals that over five million Britons aged 65 and over experience some form of pain and discomfort.
A number of persistent themes emerged from the interviews, in which participants were asked to assess the physical and psychological impact of pain on their lives.
Among the most common attitudes and response to pain were the ‘stiff upper lip’ approach, the fear of becoming a burden, a diminished capacity and a sense of isolation.
One participant – a 73-year-old retired healthcare worker – told researchers that pain had an overwhelming influence on her life.
“Your life tends to revolve around pain and yet, at the same time, it’s not something that’s seen as being something you can talk about too much,” she said.
“I think pain can make you feel lonely because you feel that you’re the only one suffering and can cope with it, and that is a lonely experience.”
The study’s authors said much more can be done to improve pain management among older people.
“Ageist and discriminatory attitudes towards older people in pain must be challenged and ended,” said Dr Nick Allcock.
“Pain in older people needs to be seen as a priority.”
The report’s key recommendations included further training about pain in older people for all health professionals and the implementation of a standardised pain assessment tool for older people.
“Any health or social care assessment of an older person should include asking whether they experience pain. The assessment should recognise that older people may be reluctant to acknowledge and report pain,” said the study.
It also called for more research into pain assessment, the multidimensional nature of pain and the use of analgesics.
