Unmanaged pain an issue for seniors

Although a significant number of older Australians regularly experience pain, it often goes unmanaged.

“Pain is not well treated at all,” Giulia Jones – chief executive officer of advocacy body Pain Australia – told Australian Ageing Agenda.

Ms Jones said, all too often, people have a tendency to dismiss pain as an exaggeration or a weakness of character, “but we know scientifically that’s not the case.”

Older people might think that pain is a natural part of the ageing process. “That is absolutely a problem that that is a belief,” Ms Jones said.

AAA spoke with Ms Jones during National Pain Week – 22-28 July. National Pain Week aims to address the barriers that exist for about 3.6 million Australians who regularly experience chronic pain.

Chronic pain is complex and each person experiences it differently. According to Pain Australia, it can:

• be a symptom of a disease, or it can be a stand-alone condition
• occur anywhere in the body, or multiple areas
• involve several forms of pain, or just one
• can be daily, or recurrent.

Untreated or poorly treated pain can affect a person’s ability to function and negatively impact their emotional and psychological wellbeing and, ultimately, their quality of life. Pain also interferes with a person’s daily activities, increasing the risk of frailty and loneliness.

Ms Jones told AAA that pain is a bio-psycho-social condition that needs multidisciplinary management, which includes ensuring you have the best medicines readily available to treat your condition.

She also strongly suggests physician supervision. “Whether that’s a pain specialist or a GP – you need some sort of clinical supervision.”

Maintaining physical activity is also important. “You need to move and strengthen your body. This is really important for the older cohort – it doesn’t matter what age you are, you can strengthen your body from where it is today to something better in a few weeks’ time. We want older people to realise don’t give up,” Ms Jones said.

When exercising, pacing is crucial, she added. “You are challenging your body physically and improving, but you’re not going overboard and making your problem worse.”

Finally, Ms Jones told AAA people in pain need to address the psychological element of the condition. “If someone has chronic pain they need psychological pain training. It teaches you to lean into your pain and not let it overwhelm you.”

Pain Australia estimates that 80 per cent of aged care residents have chronic pain, and over half live with dementia. People with dementia may have difficulty reporting their pain. But as Ms Jones noted: “There are indexes that clinicians can use to measure people’s pain based on other displays of emotion and physical discomfort.”

People with dementia can still be active, she added. “Even someone with dementia can move, can exercise. We need to continue to do all of the same things – not discount someone because of cognitive decline.”

It’s more than a physical feeling

Professor Judy Lowthian

Researchers from the Bolton Clarke Research Institute recently conducted a retirement living health and wellbeing survey, which found 54 per cent of residents experienced pain at least one day a week while 30 per cent experienced pain on five or more days a week. Almost 40 per cent of respondents experienced moderate or extreme pain or discomfort.

For those experiencing chronic pain, the good news is action can be taken. “It’s more than a physical feeling and is influenced by sleep, exercise, general health, attitudes, beliefs, mood, environment, and the people around you,” Professor Judy Lowthian – head of research at the Bolton Clarke Research Institute – said. “Pain is experienced differently by everyone, and because many things affect it, lots can be done to change it.”

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