What can be done to meet the needs of older people experiencing pain?
It is a myth that older people feel pain less than younger people. They may have more difficulty communicating what they are experiencing, and health-care practitioners need to be aware of different ways of monitoring this. Obstacles include outdated attitudes, the underuse of opioids, and ineffective use of pain measurement scales.
Closs
S José
SJ
School of Healthcare, University of Leeds, Yorkshire. s.j.closs@leeds.ac.uk
D000368:Aged; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D010146:Pain / Q000175:diagnosis; D059408:Pain Management; D010147:Pain Measurement; D006113:United Kingdom