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Managing pain in older people: steps to better care

Patricia Schofield Patricia Schofield a nurse by background, who works for Sheffield Hallam University as units of assessment lead. She led the development of national guidelines for the assessment and management of pain in older adults

Addressing patients’ needs starts with a thorough pain assessment

With the older population in the UK increasing, we are seeing a rise in the number of older adults experiencing poorly controlled chronic pain.

There are a number of difficulties when dealing with pain in this group, including fear of using drugs, belief that pain is part of ageing, belief that healthcare professionals are ‘the experts’, not wanting to complain, and restrictions associated with reporting pain due to time-limited consultations.

Nursing Standard. 35, 4, 51-52. doi: 10.7748/ns.35.4.51.s20