Assessment of pain in elders with dementia.
The importance of pain assessment and the available measurement tools for elders with dementia are reviewed. The authors recommend measuring chronic pain during active movement, and looking at inactivity, changes of motor patterns, and disruptive behaviors as indicators of pain. They also suggest querying elders about their pain even if they suffer from dementia.
Tsai
Pao-Feng
PF
College of Nursing, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA.
Chang
Jason Y
JY
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D003144:Communication Barriers; D003704:Dementia / Q000150:complications*; D005684:Gait; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D005851:Geriatric Nursing / Q000379:methods; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D009730:Nursing Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D019370:Observation; D010146:Pain / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000451:nursing / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods* / Q000451:nursing; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires